Enough
by Totidem Verbis
Summary: "It's kind of strange, isn't it?" Koto had that look in her eye again; the look that never failed to make him want to run for the hills. "It's like a fairytale, except I hated you for a little bit and there was a lot of blood. Like, a lot. Okay, so maybe not a fairytale. Romantic comedy with death scenes?"
1. As You Wish

**NOTE TO READERS:** I am completely open to criticism; I think it helps me grow as a writer. I prefer constructive criticism, but I'm all for freedom of speech. However, if there is a pairing or plot point that you don't like, please make sure the review that you leave is not a Guest review so that I have a chance to defend/explain myself. Other than that, I hope you enjoy the story!

 **Author's Note:** Hello! It's been a long time, hmm? I've had this story brewing in the back of my mind since the ending of _**Love, Where Is Your Fire?**_ It's been a year and a half since then, and I think I'm finally ready to write it. I won't promise speedy updates, but I am excited to write this. This first chapter, and probably the next one too, is just background. Setting the scene and learning the characters.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. I own parts of the plot, but that's it. If you're confused about who owns what, it's safer to assume that I own nothing.

 **Title Credit:** _Enough_ by Tyrone Wells

 **Post Date:** 15 December 2015

 **Word Count:** 2735

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 **Chapter One  
** **As You Wish**

 **3013 BC**

 **Demon World**

"Raizen!" The loud bellow came from the west, and the weary demon slowly pushed his feet through the carnage on the ground. He'd lost track of how long they had been fighting the shadow demons. Years? Centuries? Alaric came to Tourin's aid, but not even the great Zankou had been enough to end the fight quietly. Raizen's own father, Kage, couldn't put a stop to the beasts.

"What is it, Enki?" Slim arms wound around one of his, and he saw a flash of green and red. Koku was going to be pissed. She hated washing blood and entrails out of her hair.

"I am sorry, my lord." Raizen felt like spitting at the title. He was no lord. His father was the ruler of Tourin. He opened his mouth to tell Enki right where he could stick that title, but then he saw what all the others were staring at. Souketsu was kneeling next to the body, with deep gouges spread all across his form. There was another Mazuko demon standing next to him, with a hand firmly placed on his shoulder. The demon's face was covered, but Raizen could see where he was looking.

"Kage?" He couldn't remember the last time he called the demon lying before him any kind of endearment, so he wasn't going to start now. He bent one knee to rest on the ground and a singular dark eye rose to his. The demon next to him, Zankou, was already dead. As were the shadow warriors farther out. Kage would soon join them.

"Tourin is yours now, son." Kage was never one for kindness, and Raizen could feel his tired body aching to fall to the ground. He couldn't. He had to be strong. For Tourin.

"I will protect Tourin with my life. Father." Kage almost looked like he wanted to smile, but his one remaining eye fell closed instead. Raizen could feel it when his father was no longer in this world and only hoped that the angry bastard could find peace somewhere.

"So it is true then. Zankou and Kage have both passed." The few demons gathered turned to look at the newcomer, and the pristine young prince stood out amongst the death and destruction.

"Yes, and all the shadow warriors have been defeated," Raizen declared.

"Not all, my lord!" The title straightened his spine and put a bad taste in his mouth, but it was something that he would learn to get used to. In time. Shu stumbled his way through the others until he was at Raizen's side, and he dropped the squirming bundle he was holding. The rags parted to show two small children; one was only a few years old, the other looked as if it was just born. "I found them hidden in a ditch, covered by the dead. The little one cried out."

"You can't hurt her!" The boy was so young, but the grip he had on the younger child looked strong. Strong enough to make the little one cry out. Raizen knelt to see the two children, the last of the shadow warriors.

"What are your names?" The little boy was lightly rocking the small girl, to quiet her crying, and dark red eyes glared up at Raizen. It was amusing to see something so small glare up at a king.

"I am Azuma Kurosawa!" Hair the same color as his eyes, the same color as the blood streaked across their skin, was just long enough to brush his shoulders. The smaller child had hair of an unidentifiable color, she was still too young, but bright green eyes looked up at him.

"And this little one?" He reached a finger down to touch the small girl's blood smeared cheek, but the boy snapped out and bit the end of his finger. Instead of becoming angry, like the onlookers predicted, Raizen laughed and lightly patted the boy on the head with his other hand. The boy released him, looked at the little girl, and met Raizen's eyes once more.

"Our mother had her during the battle. She died before she could name my sister." A child born during battle, such a rarity. According to myth, a child born during battle would grow to be a great warrior.

"How old are you?"

"Five." Yes, very young. Perhaps just young enough.

"Will you kill the last of the shadow warriors, Raizen?" It was the young prince, Koenma, that asked. He should kill them. The shadow warriors wanted to control all of Demon World; they rose up to paint the world in death, and they succeeded in that much. Two of the three demon kings were dead, but he was not.

"If I let you and your sister live, will you serve me? Will you give your lives for my line?" It was an unfair thing to ask of a child who did not know the consequences of such a request, but Raizen would not chance another war like this one. The little boy, Azuma, looked down at his sister as he thought.

"May I name her?" A reasonable request, so Raizen nodded his head. "Kita and I will serve you."

"Very well. Hold still." With each hand, he reached down past flesh and bone until he could feel the very essence of each child. No one around him dared to speak a word, and he focused what was left of his energy as he inserted a claw into each child's heart. Once he was sure that a claim was made, he pulled back. The wounds sealed immediately, with the Tourin crest resting over their hearts. The same crest that rested below his left eye.

"What have you done?" Prince Koenma asked. The demons around them knew, and they looked down at the small children with wide eyes.

"I have bound them to me, my blood, forever. They will serve me and whatever children I have." The little boy nodded his head at that, and he gathered the small child into his arms so that he could stand.

"Who will rule Alaric?" Raizen rested one hand on Azuma's head and looked at the demons that fought by his side. Which of them would stand up and take the place of a king?

"I will." It was the demon that stood next to Souketsu; the demon that appeared in the middle of a battle and systematically slaughtered every shadow warrior within a ten mile radius.

"And your name?" Souketsu asked. Ah, yes, Souketsu liked spending time in Alaric. Said the air had better minerals.

"Mukuro."

"If that is all, Prince Koenma?" Enki asked, always the pleaser.

"Kage and Zankou will be placed accordingly. Hopefully we can avoid any more bloodshed like this." Mukuro huffed as Prince Koenma disappeared, and Raizen looked down at his charges. It was time to return to Tourin.

 **58 BC**

"Have you heard the news, my lord?" The voice was light and teasing, and Raizen grunted. "Jakren has been defeated, by some blind goat. Can you believe it?"

"I've heard that Mukuro is already on his way to visit," the second voice added. Kita and Azuma Kurosawa. Kita's voice was like the wind, light as a breeze or strong as a hurricane, depending on her mood. Azuma's voice was like a rockslide, both lazy and like a strike against the ground. His strong guardians had been with him for three thousand years; they drifted around him like smoke, always ready to defend him and his territory.

"We'll need to go as well," Raizen finally said.

"You're on your own, babes! That Mukuro freaks me out!" Koku called from farther into the palace.

"Honestly, Raizen, why do you put up with that woman?" Kita groaned. The two women never got along. Once, back when he first brought the children to Tourin, he thought Koku would step up and be a mother to them. That was as far away from the truth as they could get. Azuma didn't care either way, but Kita and Koku could barely be in the same room with one another without a fight breaking out.

"I heard that, ya little brat!" Kita opened her mouth to argue some more, but Azuma was quick to cover his sister's mouth before another part of the palace could be destroyed.

"Come, you two. Let's see this new ruler." Kita rolled her eyes but nodded, and the two shadow warriors disappeared moments later. Raizen knew that the two were with him as he ran across the sands of Demon World, because they were always with him. There was no limit to their movement when in shadow form, and it was a form that they both preferred.

It took a day to reach Gandara, and Raizen met Mukuro at the gates to the great city. The covered ruler looked up at him and then past his left shoulder; it was times like this when he was sure that the other king could see the shadow warriors standing just behind him. Together, they walked into Gandara and right up to the main palace. They were led inside and introduced, and Raizen looked at the Demon World's newest ruler. The goat was younger than he and Mukuro, but not by much. Raizen could feel the power residing inside the goat despite just recently defeating Jakren, and he looked comfortable on the ornate throne.

"Yomi! What are you doing up there?!" Kita appeared on Raizen's left, and Azuma quickly took form just behind her. The youngest shadow demon had her long blonde hair put up in a ponytail, and Raizen could see her bright green eyes staring up at the goat. The newest ruler breathed in deep and then smiled.

"The Kurosawas. I thought I would never see you again," the goat said with a smile. It was then that Kita seemed to realize what had happened, and she crossed her arms.

"You've been blinded."

"You know this goat?" Raizen asked his two guardians.

"He was a member of Yoko Kurama's team," Azuma answered.

"Friend of yours?" Kita looked up at him, and he couldn't read the look in her dark eyes. His guardians had been allowed to travel at their leisure over the years, because they could always feel his call, so he knew they had met all manners of demons.

"Unless you order me otherwise." On his other side, Mukuro sighed. When Raizen looked over, the other ruler met his eye.

"I guess this means we will not be challenging the new ruler?" Mukuro did not even wait for an answer; he simply turned on his heel and strode from the room.

"Do you know why we do not fight one another?" Raizen asked the youngest. He could feel how tense Kita was at his side, and Azuma had one hand braced on her shoulder. To comfort or to contain her, he wasn't sure.

"Why is that, Lord Raizen?" The goat sat forward in his throne and rested his elbows on his knees, and Raizen reached up to hold Kita's other shoulder.

"If two of us fight, the third will wait until the end and take out the weak. Even if we all fight at once, the third will eventually win. We reign in balance. Understood?" The goat seemed to think it over, hummed low in his throat, and sat back in his throne.

"Understood. I only wish to rule my territory." At the declaration, Kita and Azuma both faded into smoke and then into nothingness. Raizen raised his chin, because he would never bow his head to another, and turned to leave.

 **12 AD**

"As of this day, no humans will be consumed in my territory!" The few demons who dared to protest were quieted by Raizen's roar, and the ruler of Tourin turned back to face his throne room. The demons that had stood by him for centuries, his friends, looked at him in confusion. When he just shook his head, they left the room. Raizen sunk into his throne and ran his claws through his hair. How could he explain to them what he had seen? What he had done? How he felt? One human now held his very being in her fragile hands, and he would never again consume human flesh.

"But, Raizen, you'll die if you don't eat," Kita whispered.

"Is it worth it?" Azuma added.

"My decision has been made," he declared.

"It's your funeral," Azuma grumbled and disappeared from sight.

"How do we protect you from yourself?" Kita asked and followed after her brother.

His only regret was that the two shadow warriors were condemned along with him. He had no heirs, and he had no will to create one now. Not after _her_.

 **13 AD**

"You are not even half the demon you were before! Where is the demon I fell in love with?!" Koku screamed at him. He had told her, several times over, that he had no more interest in her. He had devoted himself to _her_.

"All of the others have left, Raizen. And now we are too," Enki said quietly. He knelt for one last time at Raizen's feet, and Raizen placed one clawed hand on top of the massive demon's head.

"I cannot change what has come to pass, but I will miss you. My oldest friend." Koku was still screaming obscenities as Enki tossed the demoness over his shoulder and carried her from the palace, and Raizen knew the moment that Kita and Azuma appeared on either side of him.

"I think I might actually miss the crazy bitch," Kita finally said.

"I will miss them, but it's for the best," Azuma said. His oldest friends had gone into seclusion, and it would only take a few more years for the hunger to start. Turning away his friends was his first test. The hunger pains would be his ultimate test. How long would it take for his body to waste away into nothing?

 **1975**

Kita lightly rubbed against her chest, over the spot where her heart rarely beat, and Raizen narrowed his eyes. Azuma had done the same thing earlier, but the older shadow demon had passed it off as nothing. A strained muscle from too much training. Kita would probably give him the same excuse. Could they feel how weak he had become? The growls from his empty stomach helped mark the passing of time in Demon World, and Raizen knew that the end was drawing near. He believed that he would already be dead if it weren't for Azuma and Kita; they were bound to him, so their energy also belonged to him. Before too much longer, all of them would be too weak to carry on. It was wrong to force them to die for his cause, for his belief, but they had not asked him to change his mind since that first time. So many centuries ago, he bound the shadows to him. They should have been slaves, but they had proven to be loyal guardians. Yes, taking them with him would be a shame. Even that knowledge was not enough to make him change his mind.

 **1990**

"You will serve him now." His descendant, the first half-breed strong enough to carry his demonic heritage, was sound asleep somewhere else in the palace. The palace that had been turned into a tomb over the centuries.

"Of course. We will always serve your line, Raizen," Azuma said.

"Yep, always," Kita added. It almost wasn't fair. He forced them into this when they were both far too young, but they have always remained loyal and never resented him.

"Keep yourselves from him until he learns to accept who he is. Only then will you swear yourselves to him." The two shadow warriors bowed their heads, and Raizen let out a sigh. It was nearly time now. Nearly time for him to rest. Maybe he'll get to see _her_ again. Enma might allow him that for keeping the peace all these centuries. "And once I'm gone, repair the palace. This tomb isn't fit for the king of Tourin."

"As you wish," Azuma vowed while Kita whispered, "Finally!"

 **1991**

His descendant, Yusuke, found a way to stop the Demon World from falling into chaos. Azuma and Kita stayed close to the boy, kept their watchful eyes on him but didn't interfere. That was all that Koenma would tell him. He was then escorted into a room that seemed to stretch on for miles and was left alone, until they came to him one by one.

Kage, the father who turned him into a ruler with hard fists and words sharper than knives.

Kaisra, the mother he could barely remember and who used to hold him when he slept.

Finally, he saw _her_. Midoriko. Her hands smelled like healing herbs, and there was a light in her eyes meant just for him.

Yes, now he could finally rest.

* * *

 **Ending Note:** I learned during my last big story that I sometimes don't explain things well. So I'm going to do a quick rundown.

Thousands of years ago, Tourin and Alaric went to war with the shadow demons. The ruler of Tourin was Kage, Raizen's father. The ruler of Alaric was Zankou. The shadow demons were completely wiped out, except for two small children that Raizen bound to him for eternity. Sometime later, Yomi defeated the current ruler of Gandara (Jakren) and took over. What's his connection to Kita and Azuma? That will be learned later, mostly because _this_ story isn't about the shadow demons. It just introduces them.

This story is about _Koto_. She will be making an appearance in the next chapter. This chapter was like a setup, so that things will make sense later on. If there's any questions, please let me know.


	2. Weird Timing, Right Place

**Author's Note:** This chapter is a little longer than the first, but I can't promise that they'll all be this long. It just kind of got away from me. Thank you to everyone reading!

 **Post Date:** 17 December 2015

 **Word Count:** 7290

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 **Chapter Two  
** **Weird Timing, Right Place**

 **March 1991-March 1994**

 _"And the winner of the first Demon World Tournament is…Enki!"_

Yusuke didn't actually see the last fight, but he had heard Koto's voice announcing it ever since he regained consciousness. She might be a strange one, but they never would have a found a better announcer. He got to hear Enki's speech, about only reigning for three years and promising peace between the worlds, and he was pretty sure that warm feeling in his chest was pride. He thought Raizen would be proud of his old friend too. Hell, that was probably why Enki was doing it.

He stayed in Tourin for two years, training with the men and visiting with all of the people he'd met. He ran into Hiei and Kurama too; Hiei was stuck guarding the Kekkai Barrier over in Alaric, and Kurama had accepted a permanent position as Yomi's second. Yeah, Yusuke was a little surprised when Enki decided to keep the Three Kings. Enki may be the ultimate ruler, but the three rulers were like his advisors. Hokushin and Kurama helped him with that, mostly. Politics and rules had never really been his thing.

Chu and Rinku were permanent residents of Tourin, sometimes of the palace. _Palace_. When Yusuke returned from Enki's own giant ass mansion in the north, it was to find an actual palace where all those giant cylinders had been. Hokushin reassured him that was how the ruler's palace was supposed to look; it only changed when Raizen locked himself away and decided to starve to death. It was pretty common to hear Chu and Rinku running through the hallways, and they were joined by Jin sometimes. Touya was normally around too, but he didn't join in on the chasing. They all trained with the army, but they wouldn't take any permanent positions no matter how many times Hokushin asked.

Two years. He got permission from Enki to return to the Human World, and Hokushin was the leader in his absence. Returning to the Human World was…different. He got used to the landscapes of the Demon World; in the Human World, he had to constantly remind himself not to be too strong, too fast, too anything. He broke things a lot to start with, which always made Keiko mad, but he was better about it now. He'd been back in the Human World for a year now, and he was waiting with the two Kuwabaras at Genkai's for Kurama and Hiei. Today was the day of the second Demon World Tournament.

"Hey, kiddo." Shizuru slowly sat down next to him, and Yusuke flicked his eyes over at her before looking back at his feet. Genkai was off doing whatever retired psychics did in their free time, and Kuwabara was helping Yukina in the garden. Keiko didn't come with him; she didn't like talking about the Demon World.

"Hey." Shizuru was okay. She had a mean right hook and was a little too blunt, but she loved her little brother. She even told Yusuke last Christmas, after getting extremely drunk, that she kinda loved him like a kid brother too. When he wasn't being too stupid.

"Keiko got something else going on?" Shizuru was also creepily knowing; he knew that she had a little psychic energy to her, like Kuwabara, but he didn't know how much. He was pretty sure she couldn't actually read his mind though.

"Girls night." It wasn't a complete lie. Keiko was going out with some of her girlfriends, which was a decision she made when he said that he was coming here. He needed to know who won. Shizuru just hummed, and Yusuke could feel a little sweat starting to build on the back of his neck.

"You want a word of advice, Yusuke?"

"Are you going to give it to me no matter what I say?" He was actually looking at her now, head on, and Shizuru cracked a smile.

"You deserve to be loved wholly. You're not some punk kid with no future. You have a _kingdom_." No matter what happened, Tourin was his. It didn't matter that he never finished high school or that he wasn't a productive member of society; he was a king. "But don't let it go to your head. You're also still an idiot."

"Thanks for that," he laughed. It was good to have friends that were always ready to knock him down a peg or two. Made being a demon king a little easier.

"Anytime, kid. Now, go get that idiot brother of mine before he proposes again. They're almost here." Definitely a lot of spirit awareness. Yusuke lumbered to his feet and started around the side of the temple, and he caught sight of a black blur. Hey, he knew that blur! He also knew that squawk.

"Hiei!" Yukina had her arms wrapped around her brother's neck, and Hiei's foot was currently pushing Kuwabara's face into the dirt. "Please let Kazuma up."

"I heard what you said." Yusuke paused at the side of the temple, torn between cutting in before Hiei actually killed Kuwabara and leaving the three to their private moment.

"It is my decision, brother. I love him." Kuwabara did propose again! Looked like it stuck this time. Speaking of Kuwabara, he was mumbling something from under Hiei's boot.

"Let Kuwabara up, Hiei." Kurama had officially joined them, and Shizuru was standing next to him.

"He asked to mate her!" Hiei looked so disgusted and stubborn, and Kurama crossed his arms.

"You would deny her happiness?" Kurama's words seemed to strike a chord, and Hiei slowly lifted his boot. Kuwabara was on his feet in an instant, and he looked down at Hiei with a smile. Normally Kuwabara would be geared up for a fight after one of Hiei's stunts, but the guy had a huge dopey smile on his face.

"Thank you, Kurama," Yukina said quietly. Kurama bowed his head and gave Hiei a very pointed look, and Yusuke looked on as Hiei actually seemed to squirm a little under the glare. Not that he blamed him. Kurama was scary when he glared.

"Yukina?" The small ice demon looked at her brother, and Hiei seemed to swallow before getting himself together. "Kurama and I would like your blessing."

It took Yusuke a moment to figure out what the fire demon was talking about, but then Yukina jumped forward to hug her brother with a cry of joy. Shizuru muttered, "About damn time." Kurama had a light blush on his cheeks, and everything seemed to click. Hiei and Kurama? Huh. He could hear Kuwabara congratulating Hiei, and it sounded like Hiei was growling. Maybe because Kuwabara called them one big happy family?

"So, when did this happen?" Yusuke asked Kurama. The fox looked happy. Really happy. That was all Yusuke cared about; he just wanted his friends to be happy.

"Hiei and I were paired up in the third round, and the fight brought out some realizations," was Kurama's only explanation. Yusuke was sure that there was more to it, but he wasn't going to pry.

"So, do demons have marriage ceremonies?" Yusuke's innocent question caused Yukina to gasp and ask Hiei for a double ceremony, and the three onlookers laughed as Hiei's face nearly turned purple. Yusuke stopped laughing long enough to clap a hand on Kurama's shoulder and looked over at the older demon. "Congratulations, Kurama."

"Thank you, Yusuke. Do you want to know who the winner was?"

"Just tell me it wasn't some demon hell-bent on destroying everything we've worked on." Yusuke hadn't been in Demon World in a year, but he really did try to help with all the new policies.

"The final round was between Chu and Koku." Yusuke groaned as he imagined the two lushes stumbling around an arena, but Kurama's quiet laugh calmed his nerves. A little. "Koku won, in the end, so Enki is running things again. Chu said he was returning to Tourin."

"I hope Touya is still there. He's the only one that can stop them from breaking everything."

"I believe he and Jin were returning to Tourin as well. Excuse me. It looks like Hiei could use a little help." Kurama walked over to where Hiei was standing, and Yukina was rapidly talking beside him. Kuwabara was standing behind Yukina, still smiling, and it sounded like they wanted to have a ceremony in the temple. Soon. Very soon.

"Now that is what happiness looks like," Shizuru whispered from next to him.

"Really? Because I think Hiei is going to kill your brother any second now," Yusuke pointed out. He didn't want to ask how Kuwabara and Yukina were going to work together; Yukina was a demon that was going to live for centuries, and Kuwabara was a human.

"But he won't, for her. One big happy family." Shizuru slung an arm around his shoulders, as if to remind him that he was part of the family too, and they were both smiling when they joined the happy couples.

 **JULY 1996**

Returning to the Demon World was an easy decision. Keiko left him, because she was the first one brave enough to say that it couldn't work. She wanted a normal life, and he dreamed of running across sand and being able to release his energy without the fear of hurting anyone. Then Atsuko kicked it. Liver failure. Koenma was kind enough to let her pass easily, in her sleep, and Yusuke got to have a long visit with her before she was placed in an afterlife. He and his mother had a complicated relationship, but he loved her. He was happy that she was going to be at peace, and Koenma said that he could visit her sometimes. Not too often, rules and everything, but sometimes.

He was going to miss seeing Kuwabara and Yukina; they took to married life easier than he thought was possible. The two of them were perfect together. Kurama and Hiei, who spent most of their time in the Demon World, were more subtle but still fit together. So, he was going to miss visiting with his oldest friend and the ice demon. He was even going to miss Shizuru, but he could visit whenever he wanted. He had _missed_ the Demon World. Also, his palace was still intact despite the wild demons that ran through it.

"How much for the…whatever this is?" Koenma and Botan had finally gotten their act together and were engaged, so now he had to buy a wedding present. What do you get for a spirit prince anyway? Yusuke had been walking all over the market for hours, and this was the first thing he'd seen that looked even slightly acceptable. Okay, that was unfair. It was wonderfully crafted, he just didn't know what it was.

"It's a looking glass, duh. Don't ya have eyes?" Yusuke cut his eyes over at her without even straightening up, and Koto beamed a smile at him.

"A looking glass?" It definitely looked like glass, but he couldn't see his reflection in it. The outer edges were silver, with intricate writing and delicate decorations.

"All a person has to do is place a drop of blood over the glass, and it'll show them whatever they wish to see," Koto explained. She still had that look on her face, like it was the most common thing in the world.

"Blood?"

"Don't tell me ya get squeamish at the sight of blood." The statement was followed by a two loud laughs, because they'd both seen him bleeding out. Hell, she probably got some of his blood splattered on her during the Dark Tournament.

"Shut up. Can I get this for a wedding present?" Koto tilted her head at that and reached up to flick her ear, and he could hear her humming something under her breath. Was that the Wedding March?

"I guess it could be romantic, so that they know where the other is. Oh! I know what you should get them!" Koto grabbed his wrist and immediately started pulling him through the market; Yusuke tried to dig his heels in, but the little cat was stronger than she looked. "It is for the royal couple, right? Right?"

"Yes! Now where are you dragging me?!" Koto looked over her shoulder to smile at him but kept moving, and Yusuke finally gave in. He moved so that he was walking next to her instead of being drug, but she didn't release the grip on his wrist. After ten minutes and thirty twisting turns, they stopped outside of a small hut. The door was closed, but there was an old woman sitting just outside of it in a small chair.

"Masaki." Koto bowed and when he didn't do the same, she reached up to grab a handful of hair at the back of his head and forced him into a bow too.

"Lady Orikasa. Lord Urameshi." Since when was Koto a Lady? Kurama explained all that title stuff to him, and only royals got the title of Lord or Lady.

"I'd like the transmitter necklaces, please." The old lady nodded once and disappeared into the hut, and Yusuke looked down at Koto.

"Lady?"

"My father is Kiyoshi Orikasa, leader of the Cat Demon tribe." At his blank look, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "The Cat Demon tribes are part of Tourin's territory. You're really bad at being a king, huh?"

"Yomi and Mukuro have been doing it for centuries. I just haven't caught up yet." Centuries, ugh. He still wasn't used to the fact that he was going to live for centuries.

"Uhuh, sure, keep telling yourself that." She was patting his shoulder when the old lady came back out, and she held out her hands. The box in her hands was pure white, and the lid was opened to show the two lockets inside. They were both silvery white and blank, and Yusuke looked over at Koto.

"The names are Koenma and Botan." The old lady nodded and placed her hand over the necklaces, and Yusuke felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as her energy raised. When she raised her hand, there was an ornate K on one locket and a matching B on the other one.

"To use the locket, it has to be opened and whispered into. Spirit energy will carry the message to the other locket. Directions are inside." The lid snapped shut, and the old lady held the white box out to him. It did sound like the perfect wedding gift.

"How much?" Yusuke was already rooting in his pocket for the money he brought with him, but the old lady shook her head.

"I require a favor." A favor. That sounded like it could be dangerous.

"What kind of favor?"

"My granddaughter, Sasuga, deserves more than this hut. She fought in the first tournament, on a dare, and made it past the first round. She has potential, but she will never reach it here." That was not what he was expecting. Not even close.

"You want me to take her with me?"

"See to it that she has training and schooling. I want her to be more than some demon's mate." The words didn't really make sense to Yusuke, but he knew the look of determination in the old woman's eyes.

"Is she here now?"

"No, she is running an errand and will not return for two more days. I will send her to the palace when she returns." Tourin was a pretty big place, and this market was at least a day away from the palace for him. He was a little faster than most demons, so for a kid it might take a couple of days.

"I'll send someone here, to accompany her." Yeah, that sounded regal-like. The old woman pressed the white box into his hands and then held his hands over it.

"Thank you, Lord Urameshi." She bowed her head to him, and Yusuke did the same. He was still feeling a little confused when Koto pulled him away a moment later, and he tapped his fingers against the white box.

"What just happened back there?" Koto laughed and reached up to lace her arm through his. He wasn't sure how his day was going to go, but he didn't expect to walk through a market arm-in-arm with Koto.

"You just saved some little demoness from a lifetime of boredom." Yeah, he was still confused and Koto could tell. He knew that she could tell because there was this little wrinkle between her eyebrows. "We don't have a lot of schools here. Only the upper class get any schooling, and it's only until they have discovered a trade. Most females, the weaker ones anyway, normally just get mated. They have children, watch after the home, take care of their mate. Boring stuff. If Sasuga does have potential, it's good for her to get out now. Demons mate for life, ya know."

 _Demons mate for life_. It was something that he knew, now. Kurama had been patiently explaining all the demon customs to him for years, and he would never forget the whole mating thing. For most couples, like Hiei and Kurama, it was all good. They both had mating marks, claiming each other, and it helped them. If one of them got hurt, they could use the other's energy to heal themselves. They could find each other pretty much anywhere. The way Kurama explained it, it sounded amazing. Apparently, it could take a bad turn too. Spousal abuse wasn't just for the Human World, but getting divorced once both mates had been marked was a little more difficult. It was actually a fight to the death. Sometimes it worked out if both mates were dominant, stronger, but not so much if one of them was more submissive.

"Whoa, did I lose ya there?" They were stopped in the middle of a street, and Koto was waving a hand in front of his eyes.

"What are you doing a week from today?" Koto blinked up at him, big aqua eyes both curious and apprehensive, and shrugged.

"Probably avoiding my family, possibly here. Why?" She still had one arm linked with his, and that was the hand holding the box so he could use his free hand to rub the back of his neck.

"I think you deserve the credit for this more than I do, don't you?" He wiggled the box to accentuate his point, and Koto rocked up onto her toes.

"Are you asking me to the royal wedding?" There was a manic glint in her eyes, and he almost took the offer back. Almost.

"Yes, but only if you promise not to be too crazy."

"Deal! Let's go buy me a dress!" She yanked him back into the market, and Yusuke groaned as he was pulled along. Well, it was too late now.

"Wait! Who's buying it?!"

 **One Week Later**

"Sasuga! Rinku! Cut it out!" He was yelling over a balcony, one of many, and the two demon children didn't listen to him at all. Chu stumbled forward and grabbed the backs of their shirts to pull them apart, and the drunkard smiled up at him.

"Don't ya, worry, Urameshi! I'll get 'em off ta school alrigh'!" He stumbled off with a kid hanging from each fist, and they were still slapping at each other. There was an actual school next to the palace, and Yusuke was working on making it available for any demon that wanted to learn. It was not something he thought he'd ever do, encourage education, but what Koto said really stuck with him. The kids of Demon World needed more opportunities.

"Is everything okay, Yusuke?" Kurama and Hiei were standing downstairs now, and it looked like Hiei wanted to laugh at him. He probably heard the whole struggle.

"Everything's fine!" Everything was not fine. He was pretty sure that he adopted a hellion, but he couldn't back out of his promise.

"You're not even dressed yet. Hiei, go find Jin and Touya. I'll help Yusuke." He wanted to point out that he was a king and that he could take care of himself just fine, but he knew that Hiei would laugh and then Yusuke would have to kill him. That would upset Kurama, and Kurama was too nice to upset. Hiei made a little snorting sound and disappeared farther into the palace, and Yusuke waited for Kurama at the top of the stairs.

"I told you they made it official, right? No ceremony, said they didn't want the fuss, but official. Did you know they've been together for years?" Yusuke could admit that he sounded like a gossiping teenage girl at a sleepover, but he had to talk to someone. Chu just laughed.

"Yes, Yusuke, it was very obvious. If you know what to look for." Kurama ushered him into his own room and then pointed to his closet, and Yusuke grumbled as he moved to get dressed. Know what to look for? Jin and Touya were exact opposites. Not in a bad way; they were just different. Two weeks ago, they came up to him and said they were leaving for a few days. He asked why out of curiosity, and they said to get mated like they were talking about going for a drive. Like it was just a normal thing for them to do. And it kinda was.

"Do I really have to take Koto a gift?" Kurama had been waiting at the palace for Yusuke to return from the marketplace, mostly to make sure that his wedding gift was appropriate, so Yusuke told him about running into Koto. Then he told him everything else.

"It is customary, especially among the nobles. Her father might consider it an insult if you don't." Nobles. Customs. Why did everything have to be so complicated? He was just taking Koto because she was the one that picked out the wedding gift.

"But I paid for the dress!" It had just looked like dark blue fabric to him, because Koto said he couldn't see her in it until the time was right, but it cost him a pretty penny!

"Did you find a gift?"

"Found a necklace in the treasury. It's on the dresser." In his spare time, he'd taken up carpentry. It was something that helped ease his mind, especially when he started to think about Keiko or his mom, and he had pretty much finished his bedroom suite. A dresser, a Western style bed, a couple of tables. He was working on a trunk now. "Well?! Does it look okay?!"

"Yes, Yusuke, this will be acceptable." Yusuke finished pulling on his black jacket and looked down at the dark blue dress shirt; he was not wearing the tie. Koenma and Botan, but mostly Botan, wanted a traditional Western styled wedding. The other lords were invited, as a show of good faith amongst the worlds, and they were all told to wear their traditional colors. It was something they hadn't done in a long time, but they were trying to get back into it. Blue for Tourin, red for Alaric, green for Gandara, and purple for Enki and Koku.

"It won't, I don't know, clash with her dress? It's dark blue." Huh, it looked like they were going to match. He remembered hearing women complaining about colors not matching, and he didn't want to look like an idiot. Koto looked way too happy whenever he did something stupid.

"No, it will look just fine. And don't you clean up well." The fox was making fun of him, Yusuke could tell. Kurama could pull off a black tux with a green bowtie. Even Hiei had been pulling off the black tux and red tie. Yusuke felt ridiculous.

"I feel like I'm suffocating." He sat down on the little bench at the foot of his bed, also made by his own hands, and pulled on the shiny black shoes. He felt ridiculous, but at least he wasn't alone.

"It's just for a few hours," Kurama pointed out. A few minutes later, they were assembled downstairs. Hiei was talking quietly with Touya, who looked nice in his light blue tux, and Jin was lazily floating above their heads in a white tux with a bowtie that matched Touya's tux.

"How are we getting there?" Touya asked. Kurama pulled out two devices, looked like watches, and handed one to Yusuke.

"You just press the button, say the destination, and release the button. They have limited power, only two destinations per watch, so ferry girls will be returning us to Demon World." Yusuke turned over the watch in his hands and lightly scratched his cheek. The small box in his front right pocket felt like it weighed a ton, and he had a feeling that Kurama was laughing at him. "See you there, Yusuke."

He watched the way that Kurama spoke into the watch and released the button, and the four of them were gone a second later. Okay, it looked like it was his turn. He slipped the watch on, held the button down, and repeated the address that Koto made him repeat last week until he could recite it in his sleep. When he came to, he was standing in front of a decent-sized house in one of the nicer areas of Demon World. So this was how the nobles lived. Not bad. He walked up to the door and gave it three swift knocks, and he rocked back on his heels as he waited. He could hear movement inside, like small feet and big crashes, and then the door was thrown open.

"It's really him!" The small cat demon couldn't be over four, and her big aqua eyes looked just like Koto's. Her hair was black instead of red though.

"Let me see!" Another small body, a few years older, pushed the girl out of the way to stare up at him. There was Koto's hair color, but the eyes were more blue.

"Stop bothering the king, you two!" The next girl to fill in the doorway looked to be about sixteen, only five years younger than him.

"Kara! Kimi! Kuru! Get away from the door! Now!" The three girls slunk away, and Yusuke watched as a fourth cat demon walked towards him. She was older than him, by ten years at least, and she had black hair and blue eyes. She had one hand braced on her swollen stomach, and she smiled at him as she finally reached the door.

"Sorry about that, the girls were really excited when they heard the King of Tourin was coming to visit. I'm Kele, Koto's older sister." She bowed her head, and Yusuke waited until her head was raised before bowing his own. As a king, he didn't have to bow to anyone except for the other kings. Mukuro laughed when he did and Yomi used it as an opportunity to hit him, but Enki usually took it seriously.

"Yusuke Urameshi. Is Koto coming?" Wow, four sisters. Yusuke couldn't imagine what it must be like to have siblings and there were so many of them. He could see the two littlest ones peeking out from around a corner, and the sixteen year old was slowly moving to stand behind Kele.

"Her and Father will be here in just a moment. Will you please join us?" Kele opened the door wider, and Yusuke felt his lips nervously twitching into a smile as he stepped into the house. As soon as the door closed behind him, the two little ones ran forward and stopped just before they could crash into his knees.

"I'm Kara!" That was the four year old, with bright aqua eyes.

"And I'm Kimi!" She looked six, maybe seven, and her shaggy red hair just barely brushed her shoulder. So the teenager must be Kuru.

"Don't bother him, you two." Kele sounded tired, which made sense. It looked like she could go into labor at any moment.

"They're not bothering me, really. Hey, Kara, Kimi. I'm Yusuke." Kids he could talk to. Kids were simple. They didn't have hidden agendas or talked in cryptic messages.

"Are you really the king of all of Tourin?" Kimi asked. He heard Kele gasp, just a little, but he laughed and knelt down in front of the two.

"Yep, sure am," he answered.

"Do you live in a palace? Like a princess?" Kara asked.

"Uhuh. It has gardens and towers and so many rooms that I got lost once." That much was true. He thought he was going to starve before Chu found him and drug him back to the main part of the house.

"Wow," the two little girls whispered.

"Could we see it?"

"Kimi!" He'd laugh about Kele being so worried, but he wasn't sure it was a good idea for her to be even a little upset when she was that pregnant.

"If it's okay with your father, yes. All of you can come see the palace." He didn't mention their mother, because Kurama told him that the woman passed away a couple of years ago. It must have been not long after the youngest, Kara, was born. It was time like these that he was glad that Kurama kept up with all of the politics.

"Don't encourage them." He looked up as Koto walked into the room, and he really hoped his face wasn't doing something embarrassing. That piece of fabric molded to her form in just the right places, so that it was still modest but showed a hint of curves. Yusuke straightened up as her father entered the room right behind her, and he met the man's dark blue eyes. Dark hair too. Koto must have her mother's coloring.

"Did you hear him, Father? The king said we could see the palace," Kimi said.

"Perhaps we will take him up on his offer." The older cat demon looked stiff, especially as he bowed at the waist, and Yusuke bowed his head in return. As soon as his chin was raised, Koto grabbed his arm and tried to pull him to the door.

"We should really be on our way, so—"

"But I got you a gift." Kurama said a gift was customary, and Yusuke didn't want to insult a noble's family just because Koto was in a hurry. Koto dropped his arm in surprise, and he reached into his pocket. He was about to open the black box when he remembered Kurama's coaching, and he looked over at Kiyoshi.

"What are you doing?" Koto whispered, fiercely. That was a blood thirsty whisper if he ever heard one.

"I would like to present your daughter with a gift and ask for the honor of her presence tonight." Nailed it! And Kurama thought he was going to mess it up.

"The honor is ours, Lord Urameshi." He finally opened the box, and Koto and Kele gasped in sync. He felt the little ones moving around his legs to see, and the last Orikasa daughter gasped quietly too when she saw it. What? It was just sitting down in the treasury, gathering dust, so he didn't see what the big deal was. Koto turned her back to him, and he squinted at the back of her neck until he got it. Right. He had to put it on her.

"Thank you." Huh, she sounded like she actually meant it too. The necklace was more of a choker, it reminded him of the bowtie she was always wearing, and shaped like two thin ropes twisted together. The rose gold color looked good against her tan skin, and he didn't think it clashed with the dark blue dress. "Now we're leaving."

"Goodbye!" Yusuke called over his shoulder as she pulled him outside, and he heard the little ones calling out a goodbye. They paused outside the house, and Koto lightly hit his shoulder.

"You didn't have to bring me anything!"

"Kurama said I did!" They wasted the next minute glaring at each other, until Koto huffed and lifted her arm. Yusuke rolled his eyes and linked their arms, and he raised the watch up.

"Yusuke! What took you so—Koto?!" Kuwabara stumbled to a stop in front of them, and Koto stared up at Kuwabara as he stared down at her.

"You're still alive?" Koto asked it with a smile, and Yusuke rubbed a hand across his brow. This was going to be a long day.

"Koto, you look lovely." Thank Enma for Yukina! Koto's smile at the ice demon was genuine, and Yusuke stepped away from the two talking women. Kuwabara followed him, and he quickly explained how he wound up with Koto.

"That was nice of ya, Urameshi," Kuwabara said when he was finished.

"Which part?" The two women were still talking, but now Kurama and Touya were standing with them too. Hiei was close by, talking to Mukuro, and Jin was sitting cross-legged in the air as he talked to Yomi.

"All of it." The answer came from over his shoulder, and Yusuke jumped a little before turning to look at Shizuru. Looked like the gang was all here.

"It's rude to eavesdrop."

"Not my fault you've got the observational awareness of a rock." Yusuke wanted to argue, he really did, but they were all called to order by Jorge who proceeded to escort them into the wedding area. Yusuke took his seat next to Koto, and Kuwabara was on his other side. Everyone quieted as the music started, and Yusuke stood up when everyone else did. He was confused about the standing, until he saw Botan.

"Doesn't she look beautiful?" Koto whispered over her shoulder at him. Yeah, he could admit that Botan really looked beautiful today. Her white dress was simple but elegant, her light blue hair was carefully curled and pinned up, and her cheeks were nearly the same color as her eyes.

The ceremony itself didn't take long, but it was a nice little ceremony. Enma officiated, and Jorge cried through the whole thing. All of the couples in the room looked a little sappy during the vows, even Hiei. He was pretty sure Koku even sniffled when Botan started lightly crying. When it was over, they were all led to the reception room. Free food! Also, free booze, so it was a good thing that Chu elected not to come. The newlywed couple insisted on doing presents first, because Botan wanted presents, and Yusuke handed his over with a smile.

"Koto picked it out." The small cat demon elbowed him in the ribs after he said it, but she still explained the directions and accepted the overly gracious hug that Botan gave her. The bride even hugged him and thanked him for being so thoughtful, and Yusuke walked away not knowing if he'd been genuinely thanked or insulted.

"You didn't have to tell them that, Urameshi," Koto whispered once they were far enough away.

"I told you that you deserved the credit," he said with a shrug.

"So, you owe me."

"I took you to the royal wedding, so, no. We're even."

"It's not a true wedding experience without a dance." When he looked down, Koto was smiling up at him. It was a truly terrifying smile. He was pretty sure his most vivid memories of her smile was when he was getting his ass kicked.

"I don't dance."

"Today you do."

Sure enough, when the time came for everyone to dance, Koto pulled him onto the dance floor with everyone else. It was horrible to start with, because he had no idea what he was doing, but neither did anyone else. Except for maybe Kurama, but it looked like Hiei was making it difficult for him. Koenma and Botan danced like no one else was even in the room. Enki danced by throwing Koku in the air and sometimes catching her; Mukuro actually caught the laughing queen one time. By the time Koto finally released him to dance with Shizuru, his feet hurt and his mouth felt like it was filled with sand. He grabbed a glass full of water and fell into an empty seat, but he wasn't alone for long.

"Enjoying the view, grandma?" Genkai hit him in the back of the head hard enough to cause brain damage, but he just smiled and took another gulp of his water.

"The announcer, huh?" He followed her eyes to see Koto doing some kind of shimmying dance with Shizuru, and he laughed as he shook his head.

"Weird timing, right place. She found the wedding gift, so I thought it was only right she come to the wedding." Genkai huffed at him, and they both kept watching all the dancers. Yomi was surprisingly light on his feet, but it didn't look like Hiei enjoyed watching another demon dance with his mate. Yusuke gave it another ten seconds before Hiei cut in, no matter how much the smaller demon hated dancing.

"I'm not going back." Yusuke nearly choked on his drink, and he saw Hiei start to make his way towards Kurama with watery eyes. Genkai thumped him on the back a few times, and he turned his head to look at her.

"Not going back?"

"Don't look so surprised, Yusuke. I'm old. I'm tired. I've earned my rest, and Yukina is going to take care of the temple." The others already knew. He'd probably already know, but he hadn't visited much in the past few months.

"Koenma already got a place for you?" It was a stupid question, but he wanted the reassurance anyway.

"Mmm, a nice place free of morons." The little smile made him laugh, and he wouldn't mourn her. Not this time. Her passing will be gentle, easy, and she was right. She'd earned this.

"Go, Yusuke. Enjoy the party. This won't be the last time you see me." He really wanted to say something, maybe thank her for kicking his ass into a somewhat decent person, but he couldn't get the words out. Going by the look in her eyes, she already knew anyway. So Yusuke rejoined the party.

 **.xXx.**

"Tonight was amazing! Wasn't it, Urameshi?" They were back in front of Koto's house, where the ferry girl dropped them off at, and Koto was spinning slowly on her toes. He wasn't really sure what happened to her shoes. His jacket was missing, so he was just down to his dark blue button-down with the sleeves rolled up. He'll probably have to take his shoes off too; they'll never survive the run back to the palace.

"It was…something." It'd been a long time since he'd seen everyone in one place, and he was pretty sure he had never seen them all that happy at one time. It was a nice image. The front door cracked open, and two sets of eyes peered out at them.

"Kara! Kimi! You should be in bed! Where are the others?" Koto was yelling in a whisper, and the two little girls spilled out onto the porch.

"They're sleeping. Did you see the prince? Was it beautiful? Was there dancing?" The two little girls kept firing off questions, and Koto's glare faded under a giggle.

"Yes, yes, and yes. Everyone was dressed so prettily, and I got to dance with a king." Koto winked over her shoulder at him, and Yusuke only refrained from making a face at her because two little kids were watching.

"I wish I could dance with a king," Kimi whispered.

"Me too," Kara added. The two little girls looked so down, and Yusuke had always had a soft spot for kids. He kept his face casual as he walked towards the trio, but a smile burst through when he knelt down to sweep the two little cats into his arms. He had Kara in the crook of his right arm and settled on his hip, and Kimi was balanced on his left hip. He started to spin around as they cheered and held onto him, and he slowed down so they wouldn't get dizzy.

"Best dance of the night," he said as he set the two little girls on their feet.

"Now get back inside before Father finds out you're awake." The two wished him a goodnight before sneaking back into the house, and Yusuke was still smiling when he looked down at Koto.

"You didn't have to do that." He shrugged, because he knew he didn't have to. He only did it because he wanted to. Koto reached up behind her, towards the clasp on the necklace, and Yusuke quickly moved forward.

"Stop! It's a gift." His hands were lightly gripping her wrists, and she just blinked up at him.

"You're not actually courting me, so you can take the necklace back." Courting? Yeah, no, that wasn't what tonight had been about. A gift was still a gift though.

"It looks better on you." He couldn't read the look in her eyes, so he was a little surprised when she jumped forward and locked her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her back to keep them from falling, and he carefully set her back on her feet. She kept her hands braced on his shoulders, and he watched as one ear twitched.

"I might not have liked you at first—"

"You cheered for my death."

"—but you're okay, Urameshi." She cheered for his death, but she respected him at the end. That was good enough for him.

"Yeah, you too, Koto." Her hands fell off his shoulders, and she took a step towards her home.

"So, goodnight." She dashed towards the house and paused in the open doorway, and he raised a hand in farewell.

"Night." He waited for the door to close behind her and then turned his feet towards the palace. All in all, it went much better than he thought it would.

 **.xXx.**

"What's he doing now?" Kita knelt down next to her brother and together they watched as the King of Tourin hacked at a piece of wood. The first sun was bright against the crimson sky, so the young ruler was stripped to the waist as he worked. It was so strange to see Raizen's face on a body without any markings, but Kita was getting used to it.

"I don't know what he's working on. Started it before the sun rose," Azuma answered. Yusuke had been back in the Demon World for a little less than a year, but he still wasn't ready. Still hadn't fully accepted who he was. That hadn't stopped them from watching over him though, both here and in the Human World. They were bound to his line, so they would always follow him. Kita was really tired of hiding herself so much though.

"Do you think we'll be able to stop hiding soon? As much as I love you, bro, it'd be nice to interact with someone else for a change." Azuma's smile was fit for a demon, and she lightly nudged his shoulder. It'd been nearly five thousand years now, and there was still no one she loved more than her big brother. She knew he felt the same way, because she just did.

"He's nearly there. Soon. Can't you see him?" As shadow demons, they had the ability to see so much more than just simple energy. They could see into a person's being, their soul, and could even see bonds if they tried hard enough. Yusuke's soul was still torn. It was mostly mended, but the two halves of himself had yet to fully merge. There was something that was holding him back.

"Yeah, I see him. He's so much brighter than Raizen." Blonde hair brushed across the black of their clothes as Kita laid her head on her brother's shoulder, and red moved to brush across golden strands and the pale skin of her face.

"It is an honor to serve him. Raizen would be proud." Kita hummed her agreement, and together they watched as the young ruler continued to build. Soon. They would be reunited with their Mazuko line soon.

* * *

 **Ending Note:** As promised, there was a lot more Koto! This chapter is also a setup chapter, because it's explaining how things are going after the anime ended. If anyone is confused about anything, please let me know. Send a review or a private message. I'm trying to make sure that I remember to explain everything, but things get away from me sometimes. Like this chapter.

There are a lot of couples. They're being introduced this way because I don't want them to be a huge deal and take away from the main story. There will be other couples later on in the story that will be a little more in depth, but my main focus is going to be on the main couple. If anyone would like a little side story that tells the story of how any of the other couples got together, let me know! Writing them wouldn't be a problem, but I'm not going to write them unless they're wanted.

Everything in this is like my own little headcannon. Koto's family, Yusuke's carpentry, the layout of the Demon World. I know the chapter was long, but I think it's a cute chapter and I'm really proud of it. I'd love to know everyone's thoughts!


	3. Christmas

**Author's Note:** It's late and I'm tired, so I'll keep this short. Tiny bit of a fluff warning, because I just can't help myself. Also, I don't think this story is going to be very long. Not like my last story. As always, thank you to everyone reading!

 **Post Date:** 19 December 2015

 **Word Count:** 6465

* * *

 **Chapter Three  
** **Christmas**

 **December 1996**

"Koto! Koto! Koto!" Two little bundles bounced into her bedroom, after crashing the door open, and Koto looked up from the book she was currently reading. Kara and Kimi were so excited they were literally spinning in circles, and Kimi had a piece of paper clutched in her hand.

"What is it, you two?" Koto loved her family, she really did, but they got excited way too easily. And that was saying something coming from her.

"You got a letter!" Kimi yelled.

"From the palace!" Kara added. The palace? The Tourin palace? Koto slipped off the bed and got the paper from Kimi's hands, and she shooed the two little ones out the door. She had to lean against the door for a moment to keep them from busting in again, and she didn't turn over the envelope until she heard their little feet running off.

The bed slowly sunk with her weight, and she turned the envelope over in her hands. It was nice, as far as envelopes went. Thick, white, heavy. After a slow deep breath, she popped the dark blue seal and pulled out a thick cream colored card. It was embossed with dark blue ink, and she took just a moment to wonder who wrote it. This nice script definitely wasn't Urameshi's handiwork. Then she snapped out of it and focused to see what the card was actually for. It was addressed to the Orikasa family, her entire family, and invited them to a celebration in Tourin at the end of the month. Christmas. It wasn't something that demons celebrated, but she knew enough about the Human World to know what it was. And Yusuke was half-human. She'd have to ask her father, but she was sure he wouldn't turn down an offer from the King of Tourin. She stood up to go ask and another piece of paper fluttered onto her bed.

"Now that's Urameshi's writing." This letter was also written in dark blue ink, but the nicely flowing script was replaced with a scrawl.

 _Koto,_

 _I told Kara and Kimi they could come to the palace, and I think they'd like it better decorated. Chu and Jin are decorating so I might have to rethink that, but it'll be different no matter what. I don't know if Kele has had her baby yet or not, so I'm sending someone to get you. You can stay at the palace for the night, everyone else is, and you'll need something to carry the presents back anyway. They'll also be picking up Masaki._

 _Yusuke_

Huh. She never thought that idiot could be so thoughtful, but he just kept proving her wrong. Kele did have her baby, a little boy named Kisuke, and he just turned two months. She was sure that Kele would want to come, her sister deserved some fun and joy. Kele hadn't been the same since Ginku's death seven months ago, and this was just what the family needed. Koto straightened her spine as she walked into her father's study, and she waited patiently for him to read the card. The letter, the one Yusuke actually wrote, was stuffed under her pillow where the others couldn't find it.

"Christmas celebration?"

Koto explained the human holiday to her father and then again to all of her siblings, and the little ones cheered at the thought of receiving presents. Kuru looked excited at getting to see a real palace, and Kele lightly bounced little Kisuke as she whispered about what it would be like to see a palace. There had been a look in her father's eyes when she explained that the holiday was normally celebrated with family or close friends, but she knew that Yusuke was just inviting her because he promised the little ones. And maybe they were friends. It was hard to tell sometimes. Either way, it looked like they were going to a royal party.

 **.xXx.**

They reached the palace just as the first moon was replacing the second sun, and Koto paused to stare up at it. When she was born, the palace was merely a tomb for a living corpse. Now it looked like a true palace, complete with gardens and towers, just like Yusuke said. Koto helped Kara and Kimi down from the giant carriage that Yusuke sent for them, and she held little Kisuke so that Kele could get out. Father had decided not to join them, which put Kele in charge of the family, so she was the one that helped Masaki down from the carriage. They approached the palace together, and they were greeted just inside the foyer by a familiar face.

"Hiya, kitty! Long time no see, eh?" Jin was floating upside down, which made the youngest girls giggle, and Koto narrowed her eyes.

"You just saw me a few months ago! At Koenma and Botan's wedding!" Koto reminded him. Jin turned himself right side up and scrubbed a hand through his bright hair.

"Well, I reckon I did! And who are these lovely lasses?" He hovered over the ground right in front of the two littlest, and they chimed their names out for him.

"Yusuke was right! Cute as a button ya are!" Jin scooped the two up, which made them squeal with laughter, and Koto quickly put a hand on Kele's shoulder.

"He's harmless, really." Jin was the opposite of harmless. She'd seen the way he could shred an opponent, but she trusted him with her two little sisters.

"Follow me! Party's this way!" Jin led them towards the main ballroom, and sometimes he'd go a little higher in the air so that the girls could see the lights that the palace was decorated with. The ballroom was an explosion of color and laughter, and Koto paused in the doorway. Jin gently set the little ones down and whistled, and Koto saw Yusuke's head pop out of the crowd. He noticed them and then disappeared again, and Koto decided it would probably be better to wait for him to find them instead of wading out into the crowd. Sasuga appeared out of the crowd and latched onto Masaki, and the older woman had just enough time to call out a thank-you to Yusuke before the young monkey demon was pulling her away.

"You made it!" Yusuke sounded a little out of breath, but he was still smiling. Kara and Kimi instantly darted forward to hug his legs, and he reached down to pat them both on the head. Then he seemed to notice the bundle in Kele's arms, and Koto watched the way that his eyes widened when he looked at Kele. "May I?"

"Of course, Lord Urameshi." The transition was easy, and Yusuke leaned down to brush his nose against Kisuke's. Had he been drinking? Maybe he shouldn't hold the baby.

"Nope. Tonight, it is Yusuke. Right, girls?"

"Right!" Kimi and Kara chorused.

"Right, little man?" He flicked his eyes over at Kele, and Koto would swear on her favorite microphone that her big sister was blushing.

"His name is Kisuke." Yusuke cooed at the baby, actually cooed, and this was the weirdest thing that she'd ever seen. A demon appeared at Yusuke's side, with black hair and dark pink eyes, and he looked really familiar. Yusuke noticed him, looked over at Kuru, and then glanced at Kele.

"Are you in charge tonight?"

"Yes, Father had business to attend to and sends his regret for not coming." Yusuke seemed to mull that over and then nodded. He looked over at the young demon, a goat demon, and smiled.

"This is Shura, Yomi's son. He's a perfect gentleman, and I thought maybe Kuru would rather hang out with him and his friends instead of us old people. If it's okay with you." Kuru's green eyes were pleading at Kele when Koto looked over, and her short auburn hair looked like it was vibrating next to her chin.

"Okay, but be careful," Kele said sternly.

"I will!" Kuru followed the goat demon, Shura, farther into the party and that's when it clicked for Koto. Shura fought in the first Demon World Tournament and unfortunately lost to his father in the first round. Huh, she knew his growth rate was a bit off but he already looked to be about seventeen or eighteen.

"There's a separate area for the kids, and it's being watched over by some teachers that volunteered. I think Kimi and Kara would like it better there." The two little girls started bouncing in place, and Kele cracked immediately.

"You come find me or Koto if you need anything," Kele said quickly. Jin came out of nowhere to sweep the girls from the room, and Koto listened to their giggles echo as they were carried off. Looked like it was down to her and Kele now. Oh, and little Kisuke, but it looked like Yusuke wasn't letting him go.

"Hey, Koto!" She looked up at the large human, who she had to admit was tougher than most, and frowned. He felt… _different_. She leaned forward as she took in his scent, and he lightly pushed against the center of her forehead. "It's rude to smell people like that."

"Koto!" Kele sounded horrified, but Kele didn't know these people like she did.

"Why are you so different?" Yusuke looked up at his friend, while keeping a firm hold on the baby, and grinned.

"Can I tell her?" Maybe he'd had too much sugar or something, because this was not normal Urameshi behavior.

"It's not like it's a secret." Despite the words, Kuwabara was blushing just the tiniest bit.

"Kuwabara and his sister, Shizuru, are Pilots of the River Styx." A reaper, huh? But, why would Urameshi be so excited about that? The answer hit her as Kuwabara's mate joined them, and she wanted to hit herself for not understanding sooner. Even as a half-demon, Urameshi would live for centuries. Kuwabara, as a human, would barely live for a single century. Now, probably thanks to Koenma, him and his sister would be able to stick around. No wonder Urameshi looked so giddy.

"It is an honor to be a reaper," Kele said quietly and bowed her head. That caused Kuwabara's blush to darken, and Koto laughed outright.

"Thank you. And who's this little guy?" Kuwabara wiggled a finger over Kisuke's face, and the baby reached out to grab it.

"My son, Kisuke." The little boy was a mix of his mother and father; he had his father's light blonde hair, his mother's blue eyes, his father's thin blonde tail, and his mother's slightly pointed ears. Koto preferred her cat ears.

"Oh, may I ask you some questions? I do not know anyone else who has gone through childbirth," Yukina said quietly. Yusuke must have already heard the news, because he just kept right on smiling and making noises at Kisuke. Yusuke passed Kisuke back to Kele eventually, and Koto looked down at the arm he offered her. She let him sweat for a moment and then took his arm in hers, and Yusuke steered her into the crowd.

"Lotta people here," she commented. She recognized most of them from the tournaments. Mukuro was laughing with Souketsu and Kurama, and Hiei was glaring across the room at the back of Kuwabara's head. Yomi was dancing with Shizuru, who Koto remembered from the royal wedding. The woman could really get down after a few drinks. King Enki was talking with a few nobles, and Queen Koku was passed out and laying on one shoulder. Chu and Jin were dancing in midair, and Touya was talking with some demons she couldn't readily name.

"I wanted to celebrate! Kuwabara and Shizuru aren't going to die!" She didn't want to point out that they must have died to become reapers, because she knew what Yusuke really meant. Also, she didn't want to make him stop smiling. It was kinda nice to see him smiling so much outside of a fight. Yusuke suddenly turned around and gripped her hips, and she squealed as he lifted her in the air and twirled her around. Jin caught her flailing hands, and she could now say that she had danced on a chandelier.

Kele spent most of the night talking to Yukina in a corner, but it was good for Kele to have a friend. Koto caught glances of Kuru, standing with a grouping of demons closer to her own age, and she checked in on Kimi and Kara a couple of times. In between dances. She danced with some of the most powerful beings in all of Demon World, and a few nobles, and she couldn't remember the last time she felt this free or had this much fun. Chu had just stopped spinning her when she heard someone call her name, and she stumbled her way over to Yusuke.

"Koto! Do you know Lekki?" A quiet giggle disturbed the air, and she had to hold in her groan. Lekki Tsukino, the oldest daughter of Eban Tsukino, the leader of the Eagle Demon tribe. Lekki was a sweet girl, nice to a fault, which made it really hard for Koto to hate her. Lekki was also everything that Koto wasn't. Long brown hair that was never frizzy or frazzled, clear silver eyes, smooth pale skin that wasn't littered with bruises and scrapes, and beautiful eagle wings that were a mixture of chocolate brown and bright silver. Perfect.

"I already told you that I know Koto! We went to school together, until she left to be a big-time announcer." It was said with a smile in Koto's direction, but she had to force herself not to sneer. She knew that a lot of the nobles looked down on her for announcing at the tournaments, thought it was beneath her rank, but it was what she loved doing.

"Koto's the best announcer! That's how we met!" Yusuke had definitely had some of the punch that Queen Koku spiked, and Lekki reached forward to steady the ruler. Koto could see Eban Tsukino watching them from the corner of his eye, and she knew what was going on. He was hoping that his daughter would be able to catch the attention of a ruler. Of a king.

"Best announcer, huh?" She knew they'd all come a long way since the Dark Tournament, which still occasionally gave her nightmares, but she liked hearing Yusuke say something so nice about her.

"Best ever. And she has the cutest family! Have you seen them?" Lekki laughed and said that she knew them well, since their families were friends, and Yusuke didn't seem to notice that Lekki had an arm around his waist to steady him.

"Oi! Did you get into the drink?" Chu bent down the littlest bit to look Yusuke right in the eye, and Yusuke shook his head.

"Jus' the pink stuff."

"The stuff Koku rigged up with Ogre Killer?" Well, it was no wonder that Yusuke was so unsteady! Did the Queen drink Ogre Killer regularly? Because that could explain a few things. Yusuke tried to nod and nearly toppled over, but Chu caught him and slung him over his shoulder. "Alright, kitty, follow me. We gots a room made up for ya."

"Bye, Lekki! Thanks for coming!" Yusuke yelled as Chu started through the thinning crowd. Enki and Yomi were thanking people for coming and escorting them out, and Koto looked over her shoulder to see Kurama and Kuwabara with all of her sisters.

"Don'tcha worry about 'em. The fox and reaper will take care of 'em. This way." Koto followed after Chu, who looked steady despite having Yusuke balanced on one shoulder. Koto leaned forward just a little to see if Yusuke was unconscious, but his head popped up at the last minute. She jumped and would have screamed if her heart wasn't in her throat, and Yusuke laughed like a maniac.

"Ha! Got ya," he slurred. Koto followed them up several flights of stairs and down a hallway, and Chu paused outside of a door.

"Your room's in there, kitty. This one's just across the hall." Koto paused in the doorway and watched as Chu disappeared into the room across the hall, and he came out a minute later without Yusuke. "He'll be alrigh' in the mornin'. Jus' needs to sleep it off."

"Thanks, Chu."

"Anytime, kitty." He winked at her before stumbling off, and Koto slipped inside her room. The overnight bag she packed, which was tagged with her name, was sitting on top of the bed. She used the adjoining bathroom to get ready for bed and slipped into her pajamas, and she looked down at her ratty blue shorts and pink tank top. She'd have to make sure she got up before anyone saw her. With that last thought, she climbed into the bed and snuggled in to sleep.

 **.xXx.**

"Who are you? Get outta my room!" The shouting woke her up, and it took her a moment to remember where she was. Yusuke's palace. Guest room. Across the hall from Yusuke. He was yelling at something, or someone, and Koto carefully made her way out of the bed. She'd packed a knife, so she grabbed it from her bag and slowly crept across the hallway. The door was easily pushed open, and a lamp was on because there was dim light coming from inside. She could see the outline of someone on the bed, which must be Yusuke, and two people dressed all in black were standing at the foot of the bed. The taller one, the male, was saying something but Koto's adrenaline was pumping so hard that she couldn't hear anything. She just charged.

"Get away from him!" The demon closest to her, a woman, turned just as Koto threw herself into the air. The two fell to the ground and knocked into the male, until they all became a pile of bodies rolling on the floor. Koto felt her knife hit something solid and heard a hiss, and a slice of pain cut across her right bicep. She was just getting ready to start kicking when someone grabbed her, and she went still when she realized it was Yusuke.

"She's demented!" the male on the floor growled. Her knife was embedded in his thigh, and the female easily pulled it out.

"I like her." The woman was still kneeling on the ground, and Koto's feet were back on the ground. She could feel Yusuke at her back, the guy felt like a furnace, and the guy laying on the ground finally stopped glaring at her. The woman raised Koto's knife, hilt out, and Koto took the knife back.

"Can we talk like normal people?" Yusuke groaned. His forehead dropped onto her shoulder, because he was either still drunk or currently hungover. Possibly both.

"Yes, talking. Talking would be nice. Also, ow! Which one of you stabbed me?"

"It's only a graze," the woman said.

"Stabbed?" Yusuke turned her around and immediately started looking her over for injuries, and she remembered that she was wearing her comfortable but embarrassing pajamas. His eyes narrowed on the top of her right arm, and he pointed his finger at the two demons still on the ground. "Stay there until I get back!"

"You're not gonna kill me while he's gone, are you?" He was only in the attached bathroom, she could hear him rummaging around, but better safe than sorry.

"I didn't even mean to hurt you." The woman really did look apologetic, but Koto's arm was really starting to burn so she wasn't ready to forgive this strange person quite yet. The woman was also lightly petting the unsheathed sword attached to her hip, like Koto was the one that attacked it. Yusuke returned with a small box in his arms, and he grabbed Koto by her good arm and pulled her over to the foot of the bed. There was a bench that stretched the width of the bed, and he pulled her down to sit beside him. The box went on the bed behind him, and he started pulling things out.

"Start talking." Something cold and that stung swiped over her arm, and she bit her lip to keep from hissing. Yusuke seemed to know that it hurt anyway, because he lightly blew on the sting. "I said, start talking."

"Right. I'm Azuma Kurosawa, and this is my sister Kita. We're shadow demons." Yusuke was lightly wrapping her arm now, because the cut wasn't too deep, and she snorted.

"Not possible. Everyone knows that the shadow demons were wiped out five thousand years ago, by Tourin and Alaric." Koto heard the stories growing up, about the deadly shadow warriors that were now extinct because they tried to completely take over Demon World.

"Yes, they were. Your ancestor, Raizen, was one of the demons that helped destroy the shadow warriors," Azuma explained.

"But you just said you were shadow demons." Yusuke lightly rubbed a finger across the bandage, over where the cut was, and Koto shivered. Yusuke must have thought that meant she was cold, because he pulled the blanket from his bed and wrapped it around her.

"At the end of the war, my sister and I were found. I was five, and Kita was born during the last big battle. Raizen, or one of the others, should have killed us," Azuma said and looked over at the female. His sister.

"Instead, he bound us to him. To his bloodline. We only exist to serve you, as guardians. We are loyal to you and you alone, just as we were loyal to Raizen," Kita finished.

"There's no way! You were a baby! He couldn't have…that's just…I think I'm gonna be sick." She could feel Yusuke rubbing her back through the thick fabric draped around her, and she pressed her forehead against his shoulder in an effort to help the nausea pass. Binding like that, to a bloodline, it was barbaric. And to do that to a baby? To a child?

"I'm really confused." Being a half-human raised in the Human World, he had no idea.

"To bind a being to you that completely, to have them serve you and your bloodline, your essence has to completely take over theirs. It is permanent and one-sided," Koto whispered. She turned her head to look at the two demons kneeling on the ground, and she really looked at them this time.

Azuma looked tall and broad, about the same as Yomi, and his bright red hair was pulled up on top of his head and came out in spikes. His eyes were nearly the same shade, but darker. A white headband covered his forehead, but she could see thick jagged black marks around his temples and eyebrows. The rest of him was covered in a suit. Black pants, dark red shirt, white tie, black jacket.

Kita looked small next to her brother, and Koto would say they were the same height at five feet even. Her light blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but a few stray bangs fell forward into her dark green eyes. Her skin was paler than her brother's, and she had the lean body of a warrior. She was dressed nearly the same as her brother. Black pants, dark gray shirt, black tie, black jacket.

They both had black gloved hands clenched over their thighs, like they were waiting for something.

"All it took was one claw. One claw inserted into our hearts and enough energy to bind our souls to his. He gave me a choice, and I chose to belong to him. To his line. They couldn't risk letting us live otherwise," Azuma said quietly.

"Raizen was fair. He raised us, trained us. Cared for us. Gave us freedom. All he asked in return was loyalty, which isn't hard to give when it's earned. We understand why he did what he did, and we don't hate him. See for yourself."

As soon as Kita stopped talking, they both raised their hands. Koto reached out to grab Yusuke's hands as they slipped off their jackets and pulled off their gloves, and they quickly removed their ties and undid the buttons on their shirts. Once they were stripped to the waist, Koto felt her eyes widen at the scene. The marks on Azuma's face moved down over his neck, cut across the top of his chest and collarbones, and moved down his arms. Even his hands were marked. More thick jagged lines covered his abdomen and disappeared into the line of his pants, and Koto could see the way that the marks arced over his shoulder so marks were probably across his back too. The same marks were on Kita's skin. Across her collarbones and down her arms, to her hands. More marks across her hips and ribs, disappearing into her pants and wrapping around to her back.

"They appeared over the years. The more we accepted Raizen's line, truly accepted to be his guardians with or without a bond, the more marks appeared. This has darkened over the years as well." Kita placed a hand over the small swell of her breast, right above the line of her bra, where a different marking was. Azuma had the same marking in the exact same place. The Tourin crest over their hearts.

"You were Raizen's guardians?" Yusuke asked. She could see how this could be confusing for him. She at least knew the background, and she was still confused.

"And now we are yours," Azuma said with a bow of his head. Yep, she could see more markings going down the back of his neck.

"Where have you been all this time? Raizen's been gone for years." Yusuke had a good point. Also, she should probably pull away from him at some point. There might be a blanket separating her from his bare skin, but they were still holding hands and she was pressed along his side.

"Raizen wanted us to wait, until you were really ready. Tonight, we saw the two halves of your soul come together. We didn't mean for you to see us right then though," Kita said with a slight blush. Taking her shirt off didn't make her bat an eye, but getting caught before she wanted to be seen did? Well, maybe for a shadow demon, that made sense.

"We were afraid the Ogre Killer might actually kill you," Azuma added.

"Did you say my soul?"

"Shadow demons had, _have_ , the ability to really see inside of a person. They can see souls, bonds, all sorts of things." The two shadow demons nodded, so she wasn't wrong.

"The human and demon side was mostly forged together, but there was something that was keeping them from completely merging," Azuma explained.

"I'm betting that it was Kuwabara and Shizuru. You were worried about losing them, because demons live for a ridiculously long time, but now you know that won't happen. And don't look at me like that. We've been by your side since Raizen passed. You just didn't see us."

"It's another perk of being a shadow demon." Azuma added when his sister just shrugged.

"All of this is so weird. Can we talk more in the morning? I think I might still be—" The door opened again, and Koto let go of Yusuke so she could wrap the blanket more securely around herself. She wasn't showing anything inappropriate, but her pajamas really were hideous.

"It is you. I thought you died when Raizen did." Kurama was standing inside of Yusuke's bedroom now, with Hiei just behind him, and he was looking at the still kneeling shadow demons.

"Kurama! Good to see ya! And congrats on the mating. I can assure you that all of Yoko's old lovers mourned a little when it became official, including myself," Kita said with a wide smile. Whoa! She got to hook up with the Yoko Kurama?

"Careful, shadow," Hiei growled. Kita raised her hands, which showed off the intricate lines on the inside of her wrists, and shrugged.

"Don't worry, I got over Yoko centuries ago."

"We thought we were going to die with Raizen too, but Yusuke is a direct descendant of his Mazuko line," Azuma quickly said. He picked up his shirt to begin getting dressed again, and Kita followed his example.

"Does that mean you'll die if I do?" Yusuke asked them.

"Yep! Unless you've got an heir," Kita said as she slipped her tie back on.

"Why is Koto here?" She blinked over at Kurama and tried to get her thoughts together.

"I was in the room across the hall, and I heard yelling." That was a simple enough explanation.

"She tackled both of us and even managed to stab Azuma," Kita said with a wide smile. Koto felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment, and she ducked her head against the blanket wrapped around her.

"That's very impressive, Koto." Kurama's praise made her groan and try to completely hide herself in the blanket, and she felt Yusuke's hand on her shoulder.

"Alright, everyone out! That includes you two." Koto peeked out of the blanket to see Yusuke pointing at the now fully dressed shadow demons, and they both seemed to transition into smoke before disappearing completely. Kurama and Hiei were gone too, so Koto let out a small sigh. Then she heard Yusuke laughing. Quietly, at first, but steadily getting louder.

"What's so funny?!" She reached out with her left hand to slap at his arm, because her right arm was starting to feel stiff, but that just made him laugh harder.

"You ran in to defend me! There was even a war cry!" Yusuke was laughing so hard that his whole body was tense and shaking, which she could clearly see because he was only wearing a pair of shorts, and she crossed her arms with a huff.

"I got stabbed for you too! Don't forget that part!" The laughter quickly cut off, and Yusuke looked really serious when she looked over.

"Does it still hurt?"

"I've had worse than this. I just want to go back to bed." She was getting ready to disentangle herself and stand up when she felt arms come around her, and she flapped her hands at the top of Yusuke's head. "Let me down!"

"Nope. This is the least I can do for my knight in shining armor." Damn him and that little smirk of his! That was the last time she tried to save his ass. He opened the door to her room with his foot and walked over to the bed, and he carefully set her down. He somehow managed to get the blanket from around her and spread it out across her instead, and he pulled the original blanket on the bed up to her chin on top of his.

"Don't you need it?" Probably not, because he was really hot. Literally. Like a furnace.

"I'll be okay for tonight. Get some sleep. We're doing presents tomorrow!" he called out before closing the door. Weirdest night ever.

 **.xXx.**

"Presents!" Kara yelled and ran straight into the small sitting room. Koto and her family had breakfast with the royals of Demon World, which was not something that she'd ever forget. Azuma and Kita were absent though, so they were probably waiting for Yusuke to tell everyone about them. Koto nearly forgot about the presents, because she was still half asleep, but Yusuke pulled her and the rest of her family into a separate sitting room immediately after breakfast. There was a tree in this room, lit up and decorated just like all the other trees in the palace, and there were big wrapped presents everywhere.

"Little ones first?" Yusuke asked, after glancing at Kara and Kimi.

"Seems fair to me," Kele said with a smile. Her older sister looked so relaxed and at peace; it was a good look on her. Yusuke pointed out which presents belonged to the two little ones, and they immediately tore at the colorful paper wrapping it. Two twin desks, that looked hand-carved, with adjustable little chairs. When the girls looked inside, they found coloring books and books for school work, and they were both squealing with happiness when they hugged Yusuke and thanked him.

"Kuru goes next." He pointed out the next giant present, and Kuru tried to seem uninterested but Koto could see the glint in her eye. Once all the paper was gone, a beautiful wardrobe stood in its place. "Go ahead and open it."

"Oh, Yusuke, you really shouldn't have." The inside was filled with dresses and other little accessories that any teenage demon would want, and Yusuke shrugged.

"I didn't. Botan, Yukina, and Shizuru went shopping."

"I think Kele should go next," Koto said quickly. The wardrobe looked handmade, custom, as well. Yusuke happily held Kisuke as Kele walked over to her present, and they all watched as she carefully peeled the paper back.

"It's beautiful, Yusuke." The crib looked large enough to fit an army of babies, and Yusuke walked over to where Kele was lightly running her fingers along the top of it.

"When he gets older, you can take these down and make it a regular bed. At least for a couple of years." He showed her where the rungs disconnected to turn it into a normal bed, and Koto's suspicions were confirmed. All of the presents were hand crafted, by Yusuke.

"Come on, everyone. Let's go pack up." The little ones reluctantly moved away from their desks, Kuru looked like she was going to cry when she was told to stop petting her dresses, but the room was empty soon enough.

"Yours was the hardest. I had no idea what to make." There was one last wrapped present, and Koto lightly tapped her fingers against the paper. Everything looked box-shaped, so it was impossible to tell what was under it. "It ain't gonna bite ya."

"Never know with you," she shot back. Okay, she could do this. She grabbed handfuls of paper and pulled, and she didn't stop to look until all of the paper was on the ground. Oh, wow, she was so not prepared for this. The vanity was huge, with a smooth top and giant mirror. There were tiny drawers everywhere, with what looked like locks.

"Keys are in the top drawer. I don't have any brothers or sisters, but my mom liked to snoop around." She opened the top drawer to see the little keyring, with a microphone as a keychain, but that wasn't all that was in the drawer. She slipped the keys into the pocket of her shorts, and she carefully picked up the rose gold chain. She turned around with the bracelet dangling from one finger, and Yusuke's cheeks were pink.

"What's this?"

"You mentioned, at the wedding, that you didn't have a lot of jewelry? That you kept forgetting about it so you never had any when you need it, so…yeah."

"So you bought me a bracelet?"

"No! No, I, uh, made it. I'm not used to working with stones, so the first attempts were pretty pathetic. That one looks okay, right? Maybe I should've just bought one." The chain reminded her of the necklace he gave her, two very thin rose gold ropes wound together. Dangling from one link was a bowtie, like the one she normally wore, but dark blue. It looked as if it was made from marble; she could see the faintest lines of pale pink running through it. He probably found the chain where he found the necklace, but he created a bowtie out of marble.

"Why the bowtie?" Her normal bowtie was red, but she was liking the dark blue color.

"Reminded me of you," he shrugged. She ran a finger along one of the smooth edges and tried to picture Yusuke making it. She couldn't.

"Why are you being so nice? To me and my family?" It didn't make any sense. Yeah, they didn't hate each other. She respected him because of his power and because he wasn't out to destroy the world, but she wasn't sure what she'd done to make him change his mind about her. She knew that he respected her, in his own way, but that didn't explain all this. He just met her family a few months ago, but he'd had time to create all this?

"I had fun at the wedding, and I like your family." He twitched and fidgeted on his feet, and Koto narrowed her eyes.

"That's not enough. You _made_ all of this. Why?" Yusuke switched weight to his other foot and rubbed the back of his neck, and Koto pushed the bracelet into her pocket so she could effectively cross her arms.

"Because I wanted to. Isn't that good enough?" Now he was looking frustrated and had crossed his arms too, and they started to glare each other down.

"You tell me why right this instance, Urameshi!"

"Kurama told me about your family! That's why! I wanted to do something nice," he finally spit out.

"What about my family?" She was riding the border between frustration and pure anger, and the look on Urameshi's face wasn't helping her any.

"Your mom passed away a couple of years ago, your sister's mate passed away earlier this year, and that your dad isn't doing too well." There it was, all laid out. The great Orikasa family was headed downhill, but she wasn't about to let some royal rub her face in it!

"So you feel sorry for us?! You did this out of pity?!" Yusuke's mouth dropped open, and he pointed a finger at her.

"I did this to be nice!"

"You did this because you feel bad about my predicament!"

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean it wasn't nice!"

"I didn't ask for your pity! None of us did!"

"And I didn't ask for your attitude!"

"You haven't seen attitude yet! I cannot believe you did all of this out of pity! You complete ass!"

"Since when is being nice the wrong thing to do?!"

"Pity isn't nice!"

"Well, I've already made everything! I can't take it back!"

Koto couldn't remember ever being this angry; she couldn't even explain why she was this angry, or why looking at Yusuke's confused and angry face was just making her angrier. She wanted to pull at her hair and scream, but she pushed the sound back down. Once she was sure that her voice was going to be calm, she turned around to look at the vanity. Just looking at it made her want to scream again, but she held back.

"Send the others their gifts. If you send this, I'll burn it." She moved to walk out of the room, but she paused before completely walking away. "And stay away from my family."

* * *

 **Ending Note:** This one was a little shorter than the last one but still pretty long. I know the ending is probably a little confusing, but more will be explained later. Koto has her reasons. Thanks again for reading!


	4. You're So Cheesy, Urameshi

**Author's Note:** It's been a little while, but I've been writing when the inspiration strikes. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

 **Small Warning:** Some violence and a few injuries, but there's nothing graphic.

 **Post Date:** 02 April 2016

 **Word Count:** 5660

* * *

 **Chapter Four  
** **You're So Cheesy, Urameshi**

Ten minutes after an extremely loud shouting match with Koto, the sitting room that Yusuke was in was emptied of people and gifts. Most of the gifts were on the way to the Orikasa home, but Koto's was sitting in Yusuke's room. He was kinda hoping that after she got home and calmed down, she'd change her mind. He spent a lot of time working on that vanity. He was plopped on one of the couches, lightly rubbing his throbbing temples, when the cushions on either side of him dented. The shadow demons, right. He could see them take form in the corners of his eyes, and they were both wearing those same suits from last night. He was never gonna get the image of all those dark lines against their skin out of his mind.

"That was brutal," Kita sighed.

"He doesn't even know what he did wrong," Azuma added.

"What did I do wrong?" He looked back and forth between the two shadows, because he was seriously confused.

"It's really not your fault. You didn't know how bad the Orikasa family is doing," Azuma said.

"And Koto's nerves are all fried because of it. She tries not to think about it, but her soul is…well, she's under a lot of pressure." Kita sounded like she shouldn't be talking, because Yusuke was pretty sure that the state of Koto's soul was private.

"Should I go apologize?" Kita's laugh was light, and for some reason it made him think of wind moving through hills.

"If you track her down and apologize now, it'll start another fight. She'll come to you when she calms down," Azuma said. He reached up to grab Yusuke's shoulder, and Yusuke felt a little more calmed at the gesture. He could feel Kita's presence on his other side, and the two of them seemed to ground him.

"If I could find a way to release you two from the bond, would you do it?"

"Absolutely not."

"Never." Kita and Azuma were both smiling at him, and he could hear the others moving around the palace. Kurama knew about the two shadow demons, so he was betting that a few of the other older demons did too. Maybe it was time to introduce his new guardians to everyone else.

 **March 1997**

It was the third official Demon World Tournament. He decided not to fight, because he'd make a horrible King. He still wasn't sure how he managed to run his third of the kingdom. Having control over all of Demon World would just end in disaster. Enki and Koku decided not to fight either, because they both thought that someone else should have a shot at running things. Yomi and Mukuro must have had the same thought as him, about just wanting to run their own little piece of Demon World, because they weren't fighting either. Yomi was here, because the tournament was being held in Gandara. Mukuro was absent because she'd recently gotten mated, to Souketsu. Looking back, he wasn't that surprised. Souketsu's immense and calmed energy seemed to balance all of Mukuro's chaos, and they looked pretty happy last time Yusuke saw them.

They were down to the last of the matches now. He could hear Koto calling out every blow of the two demons that Yusuke didn't know, and it may sound weird as hell but he was happy to hear her voice. He tried about a month ago to go see her, mostly to get her to sign the contracts for being the announcer for this tournament, but also because he wanted to apologize again. She refused to come to the door; Kele had apologized profusely while carrying the contract between them, but he just waved her off. If Koto was still mad at him for just being a nice guy, fine. And if he still had the vanity he made for her in his room, well, that was nobody's business but his own. (Not counting his two shadows, of course.)

"And the winner of the third Demon World Tournament is…Tozen!" Koto's voice cheered for everyone to hear. He could see her on the big screen, waiting for the winner to give the winning speech, and there were a lot of demons down there. Normally most demons got defeated and left, or were still unconscious. They didn't have any casualties this year and no major damage. He was pretty sure there wasn't supposed to be that many demons surrounding Koto's platform.

 _"Rest easy, big guy. Koto is fine."_ Kita's voice drifted to him like smoke, because her physical body wasn't manifested. They didn't have to take form for him to hear them though, or vice versa.

"You seem tense, Yusuke." Yomi stepped up next to him, but the goat didn't look much better. Could Yomi sense it too? That something was definitely wrong?

"It's been a long day."

"So, Tozen, what are your plans now that you've won the Demon World Tournament?!" The giant bull demon took the microphone just as Yusuke felt Enki, with Koku hanging off his shoulder, step up to his other side. Kuwabara and Yukina wanted to stay in Tourin, since Yukina was six months pregnant, and Shizuru was with them. So were Kurama and Hiei. Jin and Touya were taking some time for themselves, but he was pretty sure that Chu was still around here somewhere. Along with Rinku and Sasuga.

"My people!" The crowd seemed to hush at the words, and the giant bull demon looked at up where the rulers were standing. "Attack the lords first!"

Yusuke was the first one over the railing, because he could see Tozen reaching out towards Koto. The demons from the crowd below swarmed him until he lost sight, but he heard Kita whispering to him. Promising to get Koto to safety. He could also hear the others around him, fighting off the masses that seemed bent on taking them down. It was just him and Yomi here today, and Enki could count as a lord since he'd ran Demon World for the past six years. Yusuke did his best to just keep punching, but it seemed like there were ten more demons for every one that he put down.

"Got your back!" That was definitely Kuwabara's rough voice, and he felt Kuwabara's back press against his own a moment later. Shizuru was fighting back-to-back with Yomi, Kurama was standing behind Koku, and Hiei was behind Enki.

"Mukuro and Souketsu are on the way!" He heard a war cry and watched as Chu jumped off a railing and into a pit of rabid demons, but he saw Azuma's red hair close by so he didn't have time to worry.

Mukuro and Souketsu joined them on the second day.

Jin and Touya joined in on the third day.

Hokushin and half of Tourin's army arrived at the start of the second week.

By the end of the third week, all of the rioting demons had fanned out to regroup with Tozen.

All of the current rulers were being assembled at Yomi's palace, and Yusuke forced his tired body to follow the others. It was just like they all feared; his stupid idea had put the wrong person in power, and now they had a riot on their hands. Yusuke was so tired that he barely noticed where his feet were going, but he knew those ears. He reached out to grab her arm and pull her away from the crowd, and he waited until the last few stragglers had passed before speaking.

"What do you think you're doing?!" There was blood on her arms and the shoulder of her shirt had been nearly torn off.

"I'm helping!" Koto was fierce; he learned that much during the Dark Tournament. This though?

"We're about to go to war with a bunch of rioting demons! You need to be at home!"

"And what am I supposed to do there?!"

"Be with your family!" He was holding her upper arms, close to shaking her, because he needed her to get it. She needed to go home, away from all of this.

"You're not the boss of me!"

"I am until someone kills me!" She blinked at that, as if stunned, but then straightened her spine.

"Are you…ordering me as my king?"

"If that's what it takes to get you out of here, yes!"

"I hate you so much sometimes! You know that?!"

"Someone has to take care of you! Now go home!"

"Who says it has to be you?!"

"I do!" She let out a scream of frustration and head-butted his chest, but he kept his grip on her arms until she got it out of her system. Once she slumped against him, he let her arms go and moved his hands to her shoulders instead.

"I don't really hate you. Well, maybe just a little," she mumbled against his chest.

"I didn't mean to upset you about your family," he mumbled into her hair.

"You didn't. That's my baggage, but I guess we can talk about it later. I've got to get home."

"And I've got demons to kill." They both smiled at that, and Yusuke felt a little lighter despite the upcoming fight. "Friends?"

"Friends." Koto held her hand out, and they shook on it.

"Kita, can you take Koto home?" The shadow demon appeared next to him, and the smile on her face looked a little too gleeful.

"Just save some of the kills for me, yeah?" She looped her arm through Koto's, smiled over her left shoulder, and then they were both gone.

"C'mon, Azuma, let's get this over with."

 **.xXx.**

"By royal decree of Spirit World and King Enma, King Enki shall be the reigning ruler of Demon World until his death or until a worthy heir can take his place! Lord Mukuro of Alaric, Lord Yomi of Gandara, and Lord Yusuke of Tourin are to retain their titles and their lands! Now, by order of King Enma himself, Tozen has been sentenced to death!" The demons around him cheered, and Yusuke rolled his shoulders. So, it was official. King Enki was going to be the last king for a very long time, but it was for the best. Enki was a fair ruler, and they couldn't take the chance of this happening again.

 **April 1999**

"It's over." Mukuro's voice was calm, and she had one hand braced on Souketsu's shoulder because he was kneeling at her feet. Koku was standing on Souketsu's other side, and she was being held up by Shizuru. The Kuwabaras might technically be humans, but they retained their spirit energy after becoming reapers and even got a power increase out of it.

"Finally," Hiei huffed. He and Kurama were holding each other up, and Kuwabara was standing just behind them. Further out, Yusuke could see the others. A grounded was Jin walking next to Touya, Chu was standing next to Hokushin, and he could feel Kita and Azuma on either side of him.

"He really did it," Yusuke heard himself say. The rioting demons were tough, but they didn't have anything on Tozen. Enki was the one to take him down, and it only took them two years to do it. Two years of constant fighting; he felt like he'd aged a century.

"Now we have to rebuild," Yomi said from his side.

"Can we take a nap first?" That caused the goat to crack a smile and soon they were all heading back to their separate territories. Koenma, ever-watchful Koenma, took pity on them and brought down some of those transportation watches. Just enough juice to make two stops, but that was all he needed. Seeing the palace made him sag in relief, and he watched as Yukina ran from the palace with a small child in her arms. Kuwabara's son. He'd had just enough time to join Yukina during labor and then hold his son, and he was back to fighting the next day. Tadashi! That was the kid's name!

Yusuke let the others in before him, because it seemed only fair. Kuwabara and Yukina were the first ones inside, with little Tadashi. Kurama and Hiei weren't far behind, but Shizuru was nowhere in sight. She could be with Koku, since those two had bonded over the past couple of years. Or she might be with Yomi, who she had also bonded with during their very long fight but in a very different way. There was something about the adrenaline of a fight and the way it just seemed to spill over into other things. Jin and Touya were the next ones inside, quickly followed by Chu and Hokushin. Rinku and Sasuga should already be inside; they were Yukina's protectors while everyone else was away. Yusuke was the last one in, but he didn't make it very far. Two bodies crashed into his legs, ages six and nine, and he looked down into wide eyes.

"Kara, Kimi, everything okay?" They were holding onto his legs so tight that he was worried about his circulation, and he saw Shura and Kuru a moment later. "Hey! Yomi sent you home weeks ago!"

"I was on the way when I found them," Shura said quickly. Yomi had sent his son away when things were starting to look bleak; had he been in Tourin the whole time?

"Shura saved our lives," Kuru added helpfully.

"Yusuke? Is that Yusuke?" Kele stepped around the two, and the toddler on her hip had to be Kisuke. The little guy sure had grown. Kele didn't stop until she was standing directly in front of him, and her blue eyes looked panicked.

"What's wrong?"

"It's Koto…a lot of the tribes rebelled. There was a lot of looting and fighting, and then it got really out of hand. Homes were burning, people were being hunted down in the streets. Koto, she used herself as a distraction so we could get away. Shura found us when we were halfway here, and he tried to find her. We can't find her." Kele sounded nearly panicked, and the two kids clinging to him were starting to tear up.

"I'll find her. Just go to your rooms. Shura, make sure Yomi knows where you are and take care of everyone here." Shura nodded his head, and Yusuke slowly made his way back outside.

"Can you find her?" Azuma and Kita appeared in front of him, and they both looked spotless. The rest of them, when they left the final battlefield, were covered in blood and dirt. These two looked like they had just been lounging around all day.

"We're a little weak, but we can find her. Give us a minute," Azuma said and immediately dropped to the ground. Kita followed after him, and they sat with their knees touching and their hands clasped. Yusuke ran back inside while they searched, and it only took a few minutes to wash off the worst of the filth and change into something clean. He ran into Shura in a hallway, and he gave him instructions to tell the others where he was going and to look after everyone.

"Southeast, border between Tourin and Alaric. Closer to the Canines," Kita whispered once he was back outside. That was a long way for Koto to travel, and she's been missing for weeks.

"Can you tell anything else?" The two shadow demons shook their heads, and Yusuke looked out over the land. "Can you get me close?"

"I think so. Can't promise we'll be able to bring you both back," Azuma said.

"Yeah, we're running on reserves," Kita added. The watch thing that Koenma gave them was still on his wrist, so he could get them back. He'd learned that Azuma and Kita were literally attached to him at times, so they'd be pulled along with him.

"Just need to get close. I'll get us back." The two shadows got to their feet, and he felt their hands on his shoulders. Strong grips, and the world seemed to swirl into a fusion of color before graying out around him. When he opened his eyes, he was in a town that was mostly burned to the ground. He could feel faint energy farther off and hear muffled shouting, and he slowly cracked his neck and moved his arms to shake off a little tension. "Get some rest, you two. I got this."

"We'll be watching."

"Just in case." Kita and Azuma faded until he couldn't see them anymore, and he started running in the direction of all the shouting. There was a group of demons, five or six, surrounding a hut on the far edge of the town. The hut was small, no windows and only a single door, so they should have been able to get in. Once he got closer, he could hear the demons taunting whoever was inside. Promising ugly vile things that actually made him want to be sick, and he could hear muffled shouting coming from inside the hut. Something about hanging entrails up like Christmas lights. Looked like he found Koto.

"Yo! Didn't your mama ever tell you not to talk to a lady like that?!" The demons turned to snarl at him, but they were nothing compared to the demons he'd been fighting off the past two years. They charged him as one, which made it easier to hit them with just one blast. Poof. Gone. Just like that. He quickly moved over to the door and pushed against it, but it wouldn't budge.

"I'm not scared of you!" Koto yelled from inside.

"Koto, it's me! Open the door!" He could hear shuffling, wood creaking, and then a frustrated little scream.

"I can't move it!" She must have blocked the door, but there was no telling how long she'd been trapped in there.

"Just move away from the door! I'm coming in!" He listened to make sure that she was far enough away, and he thought of the best way to knock the door down. Energy or physically?

 _"One good kick oughta do it,"_ Kita whispered. Sounded good to him. All it took was one good kick to splinter the door, and he heard the crashing sound of whatever was blocking it. He stepped past splintered wood and cracked furniture, and it took him a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark room. Koto was against the back wall, and she was shielding someone else with her body so all he could see was her back. He could smell blood in the air, but not enough to be too alarming.

"Koto?" She shifted around so that she fell back against the wall, facing him this time, but she kept an arm around the other person's shoulders.

"See, Juri, I told you someone would find us. And look! It's a king!" Dark purple eyes looked up at him, and he remembered her now. She was the announcer that took over from Koto near the end of the Dark Tournament. She looked a little worse than Koto, and Yusuke slowly knelt down to get a good look at them.

Juri's long green hair was free around her face, frazzled and a little matted with blood. She was mostly covered in bruises and scrapes; there was a real nasty bruise wrapping around her neck, and the palms of her hands looked nearly shredded. Her clothes were torn and ragged, and it looked like Koto was the only thing holding her up. Koto's clothes were ripped and bloody, and there was a dark bruise coloring the right side of her jaw. Her left ear was cut but wasn't bleeding, and there were deep cuts on the bottom of her feet. Like she had ran through glass.

"Let's get you two out of here. Koto, can you get on my back?" She nodded her head, so he turned around so she could wrap her arms around his neck. Once her legs were locked around his waist, he turned back around and met Juri's wide eyes. "I'm going to pick you up now, okay?"

"You can trust Yusuke, Juri. He won't hurt us," Koto said quietly. Juri finally nodded, a quick jerk of her head, and Yusuke slowly moved forward. One arm went behind her bent knees and the other around her back, and he made sure not to make any real sudden movements. Both girls were hanging onto him now, and he got to his feet. He was tired, so tired, but he'd be able to rest soon.

The second moon was already starting to rise when they reached the palace, and Yusuke paused just inside. What was he supposed to do with both of them? They needed medical attention, so should he go find a healer first? Should he go find Koto's family so that they'd know she was okay? Juri was passed out in his arms, but he could feel Koto's chin digging into his shoulder. What was he supposed to do? Azuma and Kita appeared in front of him, and he blinked at the two shadows.

"We'll take them to the healers," Azuma said quietly. Juri stayed asleep as she moved from his arms to Azuma's, and Yusuke was able to turn his head just enough to see Koto's eyes.

"I don't want to go to the healers. Can I just go to bed?" Koto sounded exhausted, but she really did need to see someone. She needed to get cleaned up a little, and he was worried about her ear and feet.

"Yeah, sure. Want me to go get Kele?" He could feel Koto shaking her head, and the two shadows were just watching them.

"It's late. I don't want to wake them," she finally whispered.

"I'll tell Kele in the morning that Koto was found and that she's just fine. C'mon, Azuma." The two turned around, with Juri still safely in Azuma's arms, and walked off. Yusuke tightened his grip on Koto's thighs and started making his way up the staircases. He had to get a smaller place to live in, because this was ridiculous. He took her into his room because he still had a first aid kit in the bathroom, and he turned her around so that she could sit on the counter.

"Bath first?" She was covered in blood and dirt, and he heard Koto give a happy little sigh.

"A bath would be amazing, but I don't have any clothes." He raised a finger and left the room, and he came back a minute later with an old white tee shirt and a pair of blue shorts with a drawstring. Those should fit. He ran the bathwater for her, because he didn't think she could stand on her feet to take a shower, and he sat right outside the door while she cleaned herself up.

"You can come in now!" Koto was sitting back on the counter when he walked inside, and he pulled out the first aid kit. Bandaging her ear was a little difficult, especially since she kept flinching away, and he knelt down clean the cuts on her feet and wrap those too. Her feet twitched in his hands, but he was done soon enough. He caught sight of Koto's jaw again when he stood up, and he carefully took her chin between his fingers so he could get a better look. "I'm fine, Urameshi. I just want to lay down."

"The room across the hall is empty." That was where she stayed last time, and he'd feel better if she was somewhere close by. Just in case she needed anything.

"Hey, uh, Urameshi?" Koto looked nervous, which wasn't a look that she wore very often.

"Yeah?" She lightly pulled at the bottom of the tee shirt, which reached halfway down her thighs, and met his eyes head on.

"Can I sleep here? Just for tonight?" He was pretty sure it wasn't proper or whatever, but he couldn't say no to that face. She looked scared, and nervous, and it looked like she'd lost weight too.

"Yeah. Come on." He wrapped one arm under her knees and waited until her arms were around his neck to lift her. He kept one arm around Koto to hold her up, and he used the other to pull the sheets and blanket back. The bed was definitely big enough for two, and he carefully set Koto down. She scooted over to give him plenty of room, and he smiled down at her. "My turn to clean up. Go ahead and lay down."

The shower he took was quick, just long enough to get rid of whatever mess he missed earlier, and he looked at the pajamas he left laying out. He never knew when someone would run into his room, like Chu or Sasuga, so he always slept in shorts. Tonight, out of respect for Koto, he was going to sleep in a shirt too. The shirt was yellow and the sleeves had been ripped off, and the material was thin so maybe he wouldn't get too hot. His average body temperature raised after becoming a demon, or half-demon, so he always felt like he was running a fever. He could sleep fully dressed tonight though, for Koto.

"Took ya long enough," Koto grumbled as he walked back into the room. He thought she'd be asleep by now, she definitely looked exhausted, but she was just laying bundled under the covers. Yusuke turned all the lights off, including the little lamp next to the bed, and tried not to jostle the mattress too much as he laid down.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" he asked once he was laying down. He was under the blankets, because there was just something comforting about being bundled under a blanket, and he felt his knees knock against Koto's. He pulled back, but she pressed forward so that their knees were pressed together. He could feel the bottom of her bandaged feet resting on top of his, and her aqua eyes looked huge in the dark room.

"I don't wanna sleep, not yet. What if I go back there?" Her voice sounded small, and he didn't like it. Koto's voice had always been loud, but he got it. He was no stranger to nightmares. The best way to avoid them was to think of something else, so he just started talking.

Talked about his mom and the first time he met Kuwabara. The idiot wouldn't stop trying to fight him, and Yusuke was never the type to turn down a fight. They might not have been friends when Yusuke died the first time, but he had a hidden respect for Kuwabara. He never gave up. He told her about Keiko, who tried to help him but he was too stubborn to be helped. Then there was getting killed, his ordeals, and coming back as a Spirit Detective. Talked about how he met Kurama and Hiei during his first case, the Genkai tournament, and the two cases that came before the Dark Tournament. Koto asked a few questions about the Dark Tournament, like where he was during the semi-finals, and he surprised himself by telling the truth. He told her about how it felt to have someone else's energy ripping through him, and that he was pretty sure the only reason he survived the whole thing was because of his little spirit animal.

The Sensui thing was harder to talk about, but he didn't want to skip any of it now. Told her what it was like to really see Raizen for the first time, and she laughed when he told her about how many times he challenged the old man and never really won. He told her that Atsuko and Genkai were both gone now, placed in some kind of afterlife where they could be happy, and that Keiko had moved on. Told her the reason he liked making things was because it really emptied his mind; he didn't have to worry about anything when he was carving. He briefly went over the war; he just told her that Enki was now the official ruler of Demon World for the foreseeable future and that the riots were over now that Tozen was dead.

He thought she'd be asleep by then, but he could still see her bright eyes. They were locked on his face, and her hands had reached out to grab his at some point. He didn't really remember when. So he started talking about how he wanted to help the Demon World but didn't really know how. Politics and rules had never been his thing. He wanted more schools, so that all of the little demon kids could have a chance to learn. He had an orphanage set up during the war, with help from Jin and Touya, because wars and battles leave a lot of orphans behind. He wanted to help clean up the rougher areas of Tourin and make it a little safer, as safe as Demon World could possibly be. He had even thought about setting up something similar to a police force.

When he ran out of words, Koto started talking. She told him what it was like to grow up as a noble; her schooling was mostly about how to be a proper lady and how to attract a mate. Koto made a lot of weird faces and kept talking in a high-pitched voice, like her teacher, which made Yusuke laugh but also made him a little sad. Koto saw a flyer for the Dark Tournament in the marketplace near her home and decided to try-out for the announcer position, and she said her whole family was surprised when she won. Her father didn't want her to go, she was only fifteen at the time (the same age he was when he was forced to compete), but her mother talked him into it. Said that Koto needed to see more of the world. She was surprised that Yusuke asked her to announce at the Demon World Tournament, but he assured her that they never even considered asking anyone else.

It seemed harder for her to talk about her family after that, so he told her that she didn't have to tell him anything. She wanted to explain why she'd gotten so angry at Christmas though, so Yusuke let her talk. Her mother passed away a year after the first Demon World Tournament, from complications after giving birth to Kara. That was when her father's health began to fail. Then Kele's mate was killed, a random act of violence while carrying paperwork to Alaric for Kiyoshi. The family had been struggling, and their father worried about what would happen to his daughters when he was gone. His two oldest didn't have mates, the youngest girls didn't have a mother to help them, and another family would take over the Cat Demon tribes when he passed.

Kiyoshi passed in his sleep, about a year after the riots began. Koto was the one that found him, and they had to have a quick funeral because of everything that was happening. That was when Koto decided that they had to leave. It took some time, but she eventually got everything in order. She found a carriage, similar to the one Yusuke sent for them at Christmas, and the family hurriedly packed everything they could. Including the presents he made for them. Koto said they were almost out of town when some of the rioting demons found them, but she was able to distract them long enough for her family to get away. Then there was running. Said she ran until she thought her legs were going to fall off. Just when she lost the demons following her, more would find her. During the war, Demon World fell into chaos.

After two weeks, she found Juri near Alaric. The fish demon had been fighting off a group of demons and losing, so Koto threw herself into the fight and was able to get them away. They'd been holed up in the hut for two days when Yusuke found them, listening to the demons outside shout about the things that they were going to do to the girls when they got to them. Koto had barricaded the door as soon as they were inside, but she didn't think it'd hold forever. Juri was too hurt and weak to fight, so Yusuke showed up just in time. She thanked him then, for saving them, but he told her that he owed her for saving him from the shadows.

"Don't be an ass, Urameshi. That's a sincere thank-you."

"You're welcome." She hummed a little, but she still hadn't closed her eyes for longer than a blink. "You're going to stay, right? You and your family?"

"You'd be okay with that?" He liked her family; the little ones were cute, Kuru could really benefit from the school behind the palace, and Kele was possibly the nicest person he'd ever met. Except for Yukina. They were tied for niceness.

"Yes, because I genuinely like your family. So please don't yell at me." Koto laughed, just a little, and closed her eyes for a moment.

"I'm not going to yell at you. Not tonight." It was said with a little smile, and he could see the first rays of sunlight coming through the window.

"Get some sleep, Koto."

"But what if I go back there?" Her eyes were open again, and he liked the bloodthirsty version of her better. He hated seeing her this scared. He opened his arms, and after a moment, Koto scooted over until she was laying against him. The tip of one ear brushed by his chin, and he wrapped his arms completely around her.

"I'll make sure you stay here." She nuzzled against his chest, like she was getting comfortable, and he felt one of her hands resting over his heart. It didn't really beat like it was supposed to, but it beat more often than most demons'.

"You're so cheesy, Urameshi." The statement was punctuated with a yawn, and Yusuke reached up to lightly rub her uninjured ear. Koto was snoring in minutes, and Yusuke finally let his eyes close. Time to get some sleep.

* * *

 **Ending Note:** There's only a few things I wanted to talk about. If you were completely satisfied by the chapter, feel free to not read this.

The Demon World Tournament…I think it was always only a matter of time before the wrong demon won, and I like Enki. As far as demons go, he's pretty relaxed. I like the idea of him running things permanently, because he's a fair ruler.

I don't know why I paired Mukuro with Souketsu. I do think they balance each other, and I like unexpected pairings. (Which should be obvious considering the main pairing for this story. As far as I know, there aren't any other Yusuke/Koto stories out there. If you find one, let me know!)

Yusuke and Koto are probably OOC in this chapter, but there's reasons for it. Sure, Yusuke has fought for his life and for others, but he fought this time for two years. It's something that a human can't do, so it's his first time fighting for so long. Obviously, he's tired. Finally gets to go home and crash, only to have someone else ask for his help. Then he finds Koto and Juri injured, and it's obvious that they'd been through a lot. Yusuke is tired, Koto's been fighting for her life (and Juri's), so they're both just the tiniest bit delirious.

Have you ever been so tired that you just kept talking? Like, at a sleepover. Your eyes are dry and heavy, but you fight against sleep and say whatever comes to mind. That's why Yusuke and Koto said everything they did. Under any other circumstance, they probably wouldn't have revealed so much. Special circumstances and all that.

Thank you for reading!


	5. Way Too Familiar

**Author's Note:** I'm half asleep, so I'll keep this short. It's been a while since I've updated, but I've got a clear outline for this story now so the updates should be a little more regular.

 **Post Date:** 25 June 2016

 **Word Count:** 8030

* * *

 **Chapter Five  
** **Way Too Familiar**

Koto paused in the open doorway, and she crossed her arms as she leaned against the wall just inside the bedroom. Yusuke looked so carefree in his sleep, she was almost jealous. She was pretty sure she'd never slept as fully or as deeply as he'd been sleeping, or any of the others. All of the fighters that returned from the war had been sleeping for the past week, but some of them started waking up yesterday. Kurama and Hiei were the first ones to wake, followed by Kuwabara. Jin and Touya were next, and Jin was the one that forced Chu awake this morning. The giant spirit demon had been walking in his sleep, so it had to be done. Juri woke up the day after they arrived, and Koto was able to convince the fish demon to stick around. At least until Yusuke woke up.

The two shadow demons, Kita and Azuma, promised her that Yusuke was completely okay. He just needed his rest after losing so much energy during the war, so she had used the time that he'd been sleeping to catch up with her family. The little ones had cried when they saw her and hugged her until she thought she was going to bruise, and even Kuru had looked a little misty eyed when she hugged her big sister. Kele had held onto her for so long that Koto nearly started crying, and she spent an hour just holding little Kisuke. She thanked Shura for finding her family and helping them to Tourin, and she thanked Yomi for raising such a good son when he showed up with Shizuru. Koto could tell that something was up with those two, but it was none of her business.

The day was half-over though, and Yusuke was the only one still sleeping. It really was about time that he woke up. Koto thought it over, and the solution seemed simple enough. She was just wearing a pair of pink shorts and a dark blue shirt, no shoes, so this should be easy. She took off at a run across the floor, and her legs tensed just before she could hit the mattress. Her body flew through the air and landed perfectly on top of Yusuke, and his eyes flew open when she landed on his stomach. Her knees were pressed against his ribcage, and her hands were flat against his chest. Maybe she didn't think this through?

"What the—Koto—why—huh?" His brown eyes were still fuzzy with sleep, and she reached up to pat down some of his wild black hair.

"You've been asleep for a week. All of the others are awake now, so it's time for you to wake up too." His eyes started to clear up, and he blinked up at her.

"A whole week?" His voice sounded a little rough; she should have brought up some water with her. He was probably starving too. All the others had went straight for the kitchen.

"Mhmm, a whole week, so get moving!" She poked his chest with one finger, and he reached up to grab her wrist. He pulled her arm out in front of him and moved so that he was holding her hand instead of her arm, and she had to take a slow deep breath to stop herself from blushing.

"You kept it?" Yeah, she might have been mad at the idiot, but the bracelet had been too pretty to just throw away. She'd kept it put up until after the last Demon World Tournament; she slipped it on only minutes after Kita dropped her off at home, and she hadn't taken it off since.

"It looks good on me," she shrugged. Yusuke's smile was sudden and bright, and she didn't have time to react before he was grabbing her hips and tossing her off of him. He was next to her in an instant, gentle fingers poking at her ribs, and she raised her legs as she started laughing.

"Ha! So you do like me!" She couldn't believe that the king of Tourin was actually tickling her!

"Never!" Yusuke's laugh joined her own as he kept tickling her, and he snagged one of her feet to start tickling it too. "No! Not the feet! Not the feet!"

"Then say it!" He had both of her feet in some kind of arm lock, and his fingers danced across the sensitive skin while she tried to squirm away.

"Okay! I don't hate you!" She was still giggling after Yusuke dropped her feet, and she heard little thumps quickly approaching the bed. Kimi and Kara let out little war cries as they jumped onto the bed and onto Yusuke's back, and he twisted around to grab them and start tickling them too.

"Up! Up!" Koto took over tickling her younger sisters so that Yusuke could turn around, and she could only see little Kisuke's blonde hair and Tadashi's dark blue eyes. Yusuke grabbed up the little ones and pulled them onto the bed too, and the room was filled with squealing laughter for the next few minutes.

"So, that's where all the little ones ran off to." Kele and Yukina were standing just inside the bedroom, and the two little boys clapped when they saw their mothers. Koto really couldn't get over how cute they were. Kisuke had grown so much, his shaggy blonde hair nearly covered his blue eyes. Tadashi was only a little smaller, and he had his mother's mint green hair and his father's dark blue eyes.

"Is it lunchtime?" Yusuke asked. Kele and Yukina both smiled at him as they picked their sons up, and Kimi and Kara started bouncing on the mattress.

"Lunch! Lunch!" the two little girls cheered.

"Will you two save me a seat?" They both nodded and jumped off the bed, and Koto watched them run from the room.

"Everyone else will be joining us too," Yukina said quietly. Tadashi had a hand buried in her hair, and Yukina lightly bounced him in her arms.

"We'll be right down," Yusuke promised. The two women left the room, and Yusuke waited until the door was closed before slipping off the bed. Koto crossed her legs and watched as he stretched, and her nose wrinkled at the sound of all of his bones popping.

"Is that normal?" Yusuke was twisting his back now so he could meet her eyes, and he was still smiling.

"I dunno but it feels good." After getting all stretched out, he grabbed some clothes from his closet and disappeared into the bathroom. He left the door cracked, so he'd still be able to hear her. Maybe now she should ask him about it.

"So, why'd you keep the vanity?" She moved to start making the bed, because she didn't really like messes. Blood during a fight was one thing, but there was no excuse for every day messes.

"Why wouldn't I?" he called back. She heard water running, so he was either washing himself or brushing his teeth. She probably shouldn't be here, should give him a little privacy, but she was curious.

"Because I yelled at you? I'm pretty sure I remember telling you that I would burn it." Yes, she was under a lot of stress at the time and had possibly blown things out of proportion, but she was not going to apologize. She didn't have to, because she had a feeling that Yusuke understood.

"That's why I kept it here!" She finished tucking in the last corner as Yusuke stepped out of the bathroom, and he briefly met her eyes before looking over at the vanity. "Thought you might come back for it someday."

"Thanks, for keeping it." Yusuke looked down, and Koto could have sworn that the mighty king was actually blushing. He looked like his usual smug self when he looked up, and Koto tilted her head in curiosity at his wide smile. Before she could ask him what he was thinking, she was slung over his shoulder and bouncing lightly as he walked down the stairs. "Urameshi!"

"You're welcome for the free ride!" Yusuke yelled as he sped up. She clung to the back of his shirt as he raced down the stairs, mostly out of fear, and she squealed when he suddenly slid to a stop.

"Yusuke, it's bad etiquette to kidnap ladies." That was definitely Kurama's smooth voice, and she shook with Yusuke's laughter. The nerve of him! Her head spun a little as she was placed into a chair, and the first thing she saw was her older sister's smiling face. It was good to see Kele with such a relaxed and genuine smile, even if it was at her own expense. Her happy thoughts were interrupted by Yusuke snapping his fingers in her face, and she felt her hair whip around her face as she turned to face him.

"What?!" His cheeks were stuffed full, and she gave it five seconds before he started choking. She wouldn't be the one to save him either. He pointed at her face and then downwards, and she looked down to see a full plate. He fixed her a lunch plate. She felt her eyes widen at the sheer amount, and she heard quiet laughter from around the table. Yusuke must have heard it too, because he somehow managed to swallow his food without dying and looked around.

"Did I do another bad etiquette thing?" Kurama wouldn't meet his eyes, Kuwabara looked just as confused as Yusuke, and Yukina shyly met her eyes before turning back to her son.

"No, you did another clueless Urameshi thing. Just eat, you idiot," she said and lightly elbowed him. He protested but dug in, and Koto rolled her eyes before taking her first bite. Yusuke wasn't from the Demon World, so it made sense that he didn't know all of the weird traditions they had. Like, say, courting traditions. It might not seem like it, but gathering food for another could be seen as an act of intent. Yusuke was just doing it to be nice. Because her and Yusuke? Yeah, that would never happen.

 **.xXx.**

"He's so good with them, isn't he?" Yusuke told her that she could have the room across from his, the room she had before, so that was where she'd been since lunch ended a few hours ago. All of her belongings had been moved into the room, except for the vanity. It was still in Yusuke's room. Her room was all put together now, just the way she wanted it, so she decided to take a break. The balcony overlooked one of the smaller gardens surrounding the palace, and she could clearly see Yusuke being chased by several small demons down below.

"It's because they have the same level of intelligence."

"Koto!" Kele sounded absolutely scandalized, and Koto slowly looked up at her big sister. Koto was sitting in a chair on the balcony, that she suspected was handmade, and Kele was standing with her hands braced against the railing.

"It's just a joke. Urameshi would have laughed," Koto said with a smile. Kele lightly shook her head and looked back down at the ground, and Koto leaned forward so that she could see too. Yusuke had a kid hanging from each limb, both arms and legs, and another little demon attached to his back. He collapsed to the ground, to let them win, and the little demons cheered at taking down a king.

"I remember your stories of him, but he's different than what I pictured." Kele's words were quiet, and Koto felt her cheeks heat up.

Okay, so she might have talked about Yusuke a little too much after the Dark Tournament, but she'd been impressed. She never imagined that a human could be so strong, could have so much power, but she'd seen it with her own eyes. Felt it wash over her. That was before he became a half-demon; his power only increased after coming into his demon heritage, but that wasn't how she remembered him. She remembered his heel against a knife as he and Chu hit each other, again and again. She thought it would never end, but Yusuke won. He kept winning. She remembered his scream when they all thought that Kuwabara was dying; remembered the flat look in his eyes as his power was fully unleashed. She was sure that she was going to die that day, that Toguro was going to kill them all, until she felt Yusuke's energy. Nothing had ever made her feel more safe. She never thanked him for that, for saving all of them. Had anyone ever thanked him for that?

"I only ever saw him when he was fighting. Outside of the ring, he's different," Koto admitted. He told her everything about his life, everything. She wasn't sure that she knew anyone else as well as she knew Yusuke, now. He laid himself bare, because she was scared. Yes, he was different than what she expected. Still had that same cocky attitude though.

"He asked me to stay here, for all of us to stay here. He said if we didn't want to, he'd set up another home for us. Wherever we wanted. He truly does have a kind heart." He held her to keep the nightmares away, and it worked. She'd had a few nightmares this past week, but she didn't have any that first night.

"Yeah, I guess he does. What do you want to do?"

"The girls really want to stay. The palace is so big that I don't think we'd be a burden to him, and the school is so close. The girls could really benefit from it, and Yukina thinks that I would make a good teacher. I would like to stay, to help with the school. Will you stay, Koto?"

The palace was huge. Chu lived in the palace pretty much close to full-time, and he surprisingly taught the older demon kids self-defense. Rinku and Sasuga lived in the palace. Yukina, Kuwabara, and little Tadashi lived in the palace. They were all so spread out that they rarely ran into each other, except for at mealtimes. It really was like they all had their own little homes; they were each on a different floor. Kele, Kisuke, Kuru, Kara, and Kimi were a few floors down from her. As far as she could tell, her and Yusuke were the only ones on this floor. She was old enough to go out on her own, but where would she go? She'd miss her family, and she owed Yusuke.

"I'll stay." Yusuke looked up right after the words left her lips, and she met his eyes over the balcony railing. Little demons were still jumping all over him, but she could tell that he was smiling.

"I'm glad. It wouldn't feel right without you here." She felt Kele place a kiss on top of her head, right between her ears, and she smiled as she listened to her sister's footsteps fade away. A week ago, she wasn't sure if she was going to live to see another day. She was trapped in a hut with demons yelling all kinds of vile and disgusting things at her, and she was counting down to the end. Now, she was living in a palace with a full belly and a strong sense of happiness lighting her up.

Two hours later, the second sun had set and the first moon was shining. It really made the gardens look otherworldly, and she kept watching the way that the pale moonlight streaked across the flowers when someone joined her. She knew who it was the moment he knocked on her door, but she didn't bother looking as she called for him to come in. He settled onto the ground next to her and propped his back against her legs, and she just looked down at him. He was looking out at the gardens, and she could see just enough of his face to tell that he was smiling. His black hair was sticking up, wild strands sprung out from every angle, and she decided to give into her impulses.

"I'm surprised to see that you're still alive. I thought the little ones had you beat," she said as her fingers sunk into his hair. It was so thick but soft, and Yusuke leaned his head back against her knee. It still left her plenty of room to sweep her fingers through his hair, so she didn't complain.

"I set up an orphanage. Jin and Touya mostly look after it, along with some other demons that they trust. Some of the smaller ones, they don't really understand what's happened. That they're alone." He sounded so sad, it was a tone that she'd never really heard from him before, and she brushed his bangs back from his forehead.

"They're not alone. They have you." Yusuke snorted at that but didn't move away from her, and she lightly tugged on his hair. "I mean it, Urameshi. They're lucky to have you."

"I'm not a good role model. I'm more of the opposite." He told her about his childhood, about what he was like before his death. His reputation. He dwelled on that too much.

"The first time you died, which is really weird to say, it was to save a little boy. The second time you died, it was to save your friends. You just fought a war to save a world that you weren't even born in. You saved all of us at the Dark Tournament. I wouldn't be here without you, Urameshi. I would have died a few times over. Do you have any idea how many lives you've saved?"

"Maybe I should make you my official speech writer." He was grinning when he tilted his head back to look at her, but there was something in his eyes that she couldn't name. She'd always been impulsive, it was her downfall, so she acted without thinking. She pulled on him until he was turned around; the next thing she knew, he was kneeling between her spread thighs and her palms were lightly cupping his cheeks. His brown eyes looked huge up close, and she could feel the heat of his hands against her knees.

"Thank you, Yusuke, for everything." His eyes closed, and her legs moved the slightest bit as he took a deep breath. She leaned down so that her forehead pressed against his, felt his nose brushing against hers, and breathed in his now familiar scent. Woodsy and a little like lightning. "Thank you, so much, for saving us. For saving me."

"You don't have to thank me for that." She could feel warm puffs of breath against her lips and chin, but she didn't pull back. It was very clear to her now that no one had taken the time to thank Yusuke for what he'd done, for what he'd sacrificed.

"I'll thank you if I want to." That got him to laugh, just like she wanted, and he was smiling when he pulled back from her. It was a really good look on him, even if the smile was really goofy looking.

"Maybe I should thank you." She felt her brows pull together at that, because she'd never really done anything that Yusuke could thank her for. She should probably change that soon. She was starting to feel a little unbalanced.

"For what?" Oh, she definitely didn't like that smile. He was about to say something idiotic, she could just feel it.

"For hating on me so much at the Dark Tournament. Made me want to win even more and prove you wrong." She lightly smacked against his chest, which made him rock back on his heels, and his head tipped back as he laughed. He fell back against her, but this time it was with his head in her lap. It couldn't be comfortable, since he was still kneeling between her legs, but he hummed like he was content. His arms came around to encircle her waist, and she felt his fingers lace against the small of her back right above her tail. His cheek was pressed against her thigh, so she could see that his eyes were closed.

"I've never been so happy about being wrong." She saw him smile as she returned her fingers to his hair, and he hummed again. Almost like a cat purring. The thought made her smile, but Yusuke looked peaceful so she decided not to disturb him. Maybe another time.

 **.xXx.**

"Do you think they even realize how comfortable they are with each other?" Kita asked. Her and Azuma were sitting on the balcony railing, watching as Yusuke laid in Koto's lap so that she could pet his hair.

"They're both still so young, so I doubt it. They suit each other though," Azuma said and smiled at them. He had never once regretted his decision to serve Raizen, to serve Raizen's line, and he was happy for Yusuke. The young demons were radiating peace and happiness.

"They balance each other, and they deserve to find happiness." Yusuke had been through so much in his short life; the two shadow demons could track his hardships in the rough patches of his soul, where he managed to heal but held onto jagged edges. He was better now, softer at the edges, and he was a good ruler. Raizen would be proud.

"We should give them privacy." The two shadows left the two alone, let them have their private moment, and moved to check on the little ones. So many more people to protect. It felt good to have a purpose again and to know that their king was happy.

 **.xXx.**

"What do you need from me?" Yusuke asked.

"Just a few signatures," Kurama said and pushed a stack of papers his way. Just a few, right. The stack was nearly as tall as he was.

"What's this for again?"

"Joint police force. Enki came to visit yesterday; he remembered you talking about the idea between battles and asked my opinion. I think it's a good idea and so do the other rulers. There needs to be a balance between order and chaos, and this is one thing we can do to help it. Enki wants a meeting about setting up more schools and orphanages in the different kingdoms as well." Yusuke smiled, because those were all his ideas, and started signing. Kurama had marked where each lord was supposed to sign, because Kurama was organized like that, so Yusuke barely even looked at each page before signing. He trusted Kurama.

"Can I ask you something?" He was still signing, on auto-pilot, so he could multitask.

"Of course, Yusuke. Anything." Yusuke loved all of his friends, he'd fight to the death for any one of them, but Kurama was definitely the one he went to when he had questions. The fox never judged him or made fun of him for his ignorance. He might laugh at him sometimes, but he always explained things in a way that Yusuke could understand.

"What did I do wrong at lunch?" It'd been bothering him all day. There were so many weird rules and traditions in Demon World, and he could barely remember half of them. When he looked up, Kurama was lightly tugging at the end of his shirt sleeves and he might have been blushing. Kurama was too cool to blush.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Yusuke. It's just an old tradition, that's all. Kiyoshi might have passed, but Koto will always keep her title. As will the others." Okay, so he messed up some kind of tradition, but which one?

"Still confused." He heard Kurama sigh, very quietly, but he kept signing. If he kept at this pace, he might actually be finished in another minute or two.

"You prepared Koto's plate. Normally that is something you only do for a loved one. A parent, sibling, or mate." He'd been nodding along until the last word, and the pen he was using just stopped moving as he looked up. Oh, so he'd broken one of those traditions. He was really bad at remembering all of the courting and mating traditions, because he wasn't planning on courting anyone anytime soon.

"I didn't, like, dishonor her or something, did I?" He didn't want to mess up her reputation or something.

"No, nothing like that. It was just us here, and we all know that you were raised in the Human World. So does Koto." Yusuke nodded and then returned to the forms, and he heard Kurama quietly clear his throat. "May I ask why you did? It does seem a little out of character."

"Did you see her? After she first got back?" Kurama slowly shook his head, and Yusuke tapped the pen against the paper before lying it down. He couldn't sign and still try to explain this.

"I only woke up yesterday. Koto said that her and Juri had been injured, but they were healed by the time we woke. Juri is still keeping to herself, so I imagine whatever happened took its toll on them. Koto seems to be holding up well." Yeah, Yusuke ran into Juri before going to see the kids at the new orphanage. She'd only stuck around long enough to thank him and to promise him that she'd stay in the palace until she found a safe place to live.

"They were trapped in this hut, with six demons surrounding them. The things they were yelling, that they were going to do to them…it made me sick. I was happy when they were dead. Then I got to Koto and Juri; I don't even know if Juri recognized me. Both of them had their clothes torn, were bleeding, and I had to carry them both out of there. Juri passed out before we got here, so Azuma and Kita took her to the healers. Koto, she, she's really tough, isn't she?"

"Yes, I think so." Yusuke could feel a lump in his throat, but he pushed it down. He could tell Kurama what happened, because he knew that Kurama would keep it to himself. (Hiei would probably know, but Hiei would never reveal something private so it was all good.)

"All she wanted to do was sleep, but she took a bath first. To get rid of the dirt and the blood. I had to bandage her ear and feet. It looked like she had to run through glass, and there was this giant bruise on her jaw. I know one of those animals hit her, but she still got away. She stayed with me that night."

"Yusuke, that's not—"

"Yeah, yeah, it's not proper, I know. She was scared, Kurama. I've never seen her so scared; I couldn't kick her out. She was so scared that she wouldn't even close her eyes, too scared that she'd fall asleep and go back to that hut. She didn't even fall asleep until the sun was up. I know Koto's tough, she always has been, but…I don't know. I guess I felt protective of her after that. She let me see how scared she was; she trusted me."

"Then you did the right thing. A lot has happened to Koto recently, and it's good that she has someone looking out for her." He was pretty sure that Koto wouldn't see it that way. She was definitely the independent type. She made him feel…he wasn't really sure. Sometimes she was incredibly annoying, but there were times when he couldn't imagine being around anyone else. Like earlier tonight. After fighting in a war for two straight years, just laying his head in Koto's lap with her fingers running through his hair had felt like heaven. And her thanking him? If she had kept that up, he probably would have bawled like a baby.

"She's a good friend. An unexpected one, maybe, but still a good friend." He went back to signing papers, and he heard Kurama laughing quietly. "What's so funny, fox?"

"I think she's a good friend for you, Yusuke. She's honest."

"Brutally so," he said while flipping to the next page. When she thanked him, he could literally feel her gratitude. For once, there was no teasing or sarcasm. She meant every word, looked him right in the eye as she said it, and it nearly had him falling apart.

"Those are the kinds of people we need in our lives. The ones that aren't afraid to be honest with us."

"Yeah?" He signed the last page with a little flourish and pushed the stack back towards Kurama.

"They tend to keep us honest as well. Get some more rest, Yusuke. We'll work on putting the Demon World back together tomorrow." They said a quick goodnight, and Yusuke glared up at the mountain of stairs.

"Rulers get the top floor as a sign of respect. Whose dumbass idea was that?" he muttered to himself as he started climbing. He had the top floor pretty much all to himself, unless another ruler was visiting. Or the ruler's mate. Then there was Koto. He knew it would make more sense if she was on the same floor as the rest of her family, but there were a lot of people on that floor. Koto probably liked the little bit of privacy. Right? Maybe he should ask her if she wanted a floor closer to her family. He'd ask her in the morning.

"My energy will last longer than yours, you pig!" The words were nearly screamed, and Yusuke flinched against the echoing sound. He knew who it was. There was only one other person on this floor, and he'd know her voice anyway. She'd screamed at him enough for him to pick the sound out of a crowd. Her door was cracked open, so he nudged it open enough to poke his head in.

"Koto? You okay?" he asked the dark room. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but he could see Koto's form bundled up under her blankets.

"I'll die before you can lay one claw on me!" Yeah, that was definitely a nightmare. A very loud one. He'd had a few himself over the years, and he hated that trapped feeling. Of being stuck in a memory that felt so real that waking up felt like the dream. He quickly moved across the room and turned on the lamp next to Koto's bed.

"C'mon, Koto, wake up," he said quietly and reached for her shoulder. That was clearly the wrong thing to do, because Koto jumped up at the light touch and immediately went for his throat. Well, maybe his throat wasn't intentional, but her sharp little fangs did tear a chunk out of his shoulder. "KOTO!"

His hands gripped her upper arms hard enough to bruise, but the grip had to be tight so that he could pull her off of him. Her eyes were wide open when he pulled her back, but there was no recognition in them. Blood was smeared across her lips and streaked down her chin, and she was shaking all over. His first instinct was to pull her close, to comfort her, but there was a small hole in his shoulder that said that was a bad idea. She struggled against his hold, fought to get free, but he was stronger than her. After a few minutes of her twisting to attempt to get free and growling quietly, she went still. Her eyes cleared, her pupils contracted the smallest bit, and he watched as her tongue darted out to trace over her lips. She tasted the blood, and he watched as her eyes moved from his and down to his shoulder.

"Yusuke, did I—did I do that to you?" Now that she was still, he looked away from her and down at his shoulder. It wasn't that bad. There was a small hole in his shirt so that he could actually see the damage, which was really nothing. He could see where her fangs dug into his shoulder, there were two ragged holes where he pulled her free, and a lot of blood. It really wasn't that bad though.

"It was my fault. I shouldn't have tried to shake you awake." It started with quiet sniffling, then her bottom lip started trembling, and she was full out crying thirty seconds later. Deep sobs made her whole body shake, and he did pull her to him this time.

"I'm so sorry," were the only words he could make out between sobs. Her face was pressed against the left side of his chest, since the right side was streaked with blood, and he wrapped one arm around her back to hold her close. The other one disappeared into her thick auburn hair, to try and comfort her like she did for him earlier.

"Hey, it's okay. It's not your fault, and I'm not mad. It was just a bad dream, but you're okay now. You're safe here." For some reason, that made her cry harder and Yusuke felt awful. What was the right thing to say in this situation? How could he make it better?

"It wasn't the furniture against the door that kept them out. I used my energy, like a shield. I've been practicing. They were the ones that hurt Juri, they were going to—I couldn't let them get in. I was so tired, Urameshi. I was so scared. Then I heard your voice. Of course it was you. You just keep saving me, and what do I do? I attack you." She pressed her face against his chest at the end of her rant, and he thought he saw red for just a moment. It was clear what those demons were after, but he had no idea that they got so close to Juri. No wonder the once lively demon was so skittish.

"I'd kill them again, if I could," he admitted. He'd never really liked killing, including demons. Those particular demons? No guilt at all.

"How'd you do it?" She pulled back to look at him, and he reached up to wipe at her cheeks. To try to get rid of the blood and tears.

"I heard what they were saying, and I needed to make sure you were safe. So I took them out all at once. Just a little bit of energy, and they were gone." Her arms came around his shoulders as she molded herself to him, despite the blood on him, and he could feel her nails digging into his back as she clung to him.

"I _hate_ this! I hate feeling so afraid! So helpless!" she growled against the side of his neck. He tightened his hold around her and felt her legs wrap around his waist.

"You kept them away for two days. You saved Juri. You saved yourself. I just cleaned up." It took a moment, but she huffed a laugh against the side of his throat and relaxed against him. He moved his hands down to grip just above the backs of her knees, and Koto tightened her arms around him as he stood up. She didn't say a word as he walked across the hall into his own room, and he snagged two sets of clothes before walking into the bathroom.

"You don't have to keep doing this," she whispered. She was sitting on the bathroom counter, and he was carefully cleaning the blood from her face. A little bit had moved down to her neck, and she tipped her chin up so that he could clean that off too. He didn't like the sight of her covered in blood.

"We're friends, right? Friends take care of each other," he said with a shrug. She raised a brow at him but chose not to comment, for the moment at least.

Instead she reached down and lightly tugged on the bottom of his shirt. Right, there was a hole in his shirt and in his shoulder. That needed to be cleaned up before he could go to bed. He raised his arms up, and Koto quickly pulled his shirt up and off. He let his arms fall after that, and they both looked at his shoulder. There was blood around the puncture wounds, so it was hard to tell what it really looked like. Some blood had also soaked through his shirt, so the whole thing looked worse than it really was.

"I really didn't mean to. Sometimes I want to strangle you, but I don't actually want to hurt you." She picked up the same wet cloth he had used, and he stayed perfectly still as she wiped the blood away. Just as he thought. There were just two small holes, a little jagged, but they'd be healed by tomorrow.

"I think strangling me would hurt a little," he said once she was done. There was blood on her shirt, so he handed her one of his and then turned around.

"Knowing my luck," she paused as her shirt passed over her face and she tugged the other one on, "it wouldn't even shut you up."

"Let's test that another day, hmm?" He felt her toes poking against his bare back, so he turned around and smiled at her.

"I can't believe I bit you," she groaned as she looked at his shoulder again. He reached onto the counter next to her and grabbed the other shirt he'd brought in.

"I can, because the Koto I know would never go down without a fight." He tugged the shirt on, and Koto closed her eyes so that he could switch out his pants for a pair of loose shorts.

"I think I like being a spectator more than a participant."

"Shouldn't that be announcer?" She squealed a little as he suddenly picked her up, because her eyes were still closed, but her arms wound around his shoulders on instinct.

"You're not half as smart as you think you are," she said as they moved into the bedroom. He had one arm behind her knees and she was still holding onto his neck, so he used his other arm to pull back the blankets. He had a feeling that Koto's pride wouldn't let her ask to sleep with him again, but she didn't need to be alone. Especially not after that nightmare.

"I'm a complete idiot," he said with a wide grin. Koto scooted over when he sat her down, but she didn't go very far. His bed was huge, far bigger than it needed to be, but he wasn't going to complain. Koto needed someone to be there for her, and Yusuke didn't mind being that someone.

"Exactly." He fell onto the bed, which made Koto bounce a little, and she laughed as he burrowed under the blankets.

"You're so funny, I can't stop laughing," he deadpanned. Koto slapped at him, a lot lighter than usual, and he bit back his laugh as he turned his lamp off. Once the room was dark, Koto huddled closer but stayed just far enough away that they weren't touching. As far as he was concerned, Koto made the rules here.

"Hey, Urameshi?" His eyes slowly reopened, and he could just make out the bright color of Koto's aqua eyes in the dark.

"Yeah?" They were lying on their sides, facing each other, and he could feel the heat of her.

"Would you laugh if I asked you to hold me?" Her voice was so quiet, so small, that he had to resist the urge to reach out right then and there.

"No, but I might ask you to return the favor someday." He wasn't sure if he meant it as a joke or for real, but it didn't really matter. He didn't think he could deny Koto anything at this point. Except for maybe world domination. She'd have to make a really good argument to get him to side with her on that.

"I think I can live with that." He lifted his arm, and Koto snuggled up to him. She kinda smelled like the gardens, sweet and earthy, and she was soft. Even as her fingers clung to his back hard enough to bruise, she felt soft to him. She was tough though, he knew that she was. And when she wasn't? He could hold her until she felt tough again. He could be that for her.

"You're safe here. I won't let anything happen to you," he whispered into the dark.

"I'm gonna ignore that cheese and just say thank you."

"I live for your generosity." Yeah, that's right, he knew big words. One of Koto's legs moved between his own, like she was trying to get as close as she possibly could, and he tightened his arms around her. Maybe too tight, but she didn't complain.

"Goodnight, Yusuke." That was the second time she's said his name. Twice in one day. It was a record breaker.

"Goodnight, Koto."

 **.xXx.**

Waking up was…strange. She knew something was off before she ever opened her eyes, because most of her upper body was moving. She was also really warm, which was weird because it seemed like she was always cold when she slept. Her feet were always freezing. Then she registered the scent that was completely surrounding her, and everything clicked into place. She had a nightmare, about that awful hut, and Yusuke woke her up. She bit him! She doesn't remember biting him, but there was a hole in his yellow tee shirt and blood everywhere. On him. On her. She could still taste his blood on her lips. She cried like she was a little girl and clung to him like he was the only stable thing in her life, and he let her. Let her cry all over him and held her until she'd gotten it all out. Cleaned her up, made her laugh, and held her so that she could fall asleep.

She slowly peeked an eye open, and the first thing she saw was blue. Yusuke's shirt was blue, and her head was on his chest. Most of her upper body was sprawled across him, because he'd rolled onto his back at some point. She had her legs completely wrapped around one of his, so that explained why her feet were actually warm for once. Since she was mostly lying on top of him, he had both arms wrapped securely around her back. One crossed her back to grip her hip, and her shirt had moved up enough that she could feel the rough texture of his palm against the small swell of her hip. His other hand was completely buried in her hair, and one finger was idly running up and down her right ear.

"Mornin'." His voice still sounded rough from sleep, and Koto moved her head just enough to look up at him. His hair was wild around him, but it kinda suited him. Looking at it also made her want to run her fingers through it.

"How long have you been up?" Her voice sounded a little rough too, from sleeping and probably from sobbing, and Yusuke smiled lazily down at her.

"Not long. You looked comfy, and I didn't wanna wake you yet," he said and shifted the hand in her hair. His whole hand engulfed her ear as his thumb stroked the outside of it, and she practically melted against him. Which she didn't think was possible at this point.

"You know this isn't proper, right? Way too familiar." Her words sounded hazy even to her ears, and her hand skimmed his cheek as she reached up to pet down some of his hair.

"I won't tell if you don't." It sounded like he wanted to laugh, because he sounded happy. This was what a happy Yusuke sounded like. She couldn't even imagine what they must look like, and she was completely covered in his scent. She had his blood on her, she was wearing his shirt, and she spent an entire night plastered to his side. It wasn't such a big deal a week ago, because pretty much everyone in the palace was unconscious and her family was just happy to see her. What if someone asked why she was carrying the king's scent?

"It doesn't bother you that people will be able to smell me on you? And vice versa?" Knowing Yusuke, he probably didn't even know what that meant.

"Right, the marking thing. If you've got my scent on you and someone wants to mate you, they'll have to challenge me. If there's someone you want to be with, I won't fight them. Unless you want me to." So the idiot was thinking about her honor, which was ridiculous. Most of the noble males thought that she was too headstrong, that she wouldn't make a proper mate. They were probably right.

"I'm not worried about me. I'm worried about you. All of the other lords have mates, even their seconds are mated. It's something you'll have to think about eventually, and it'll be easier to court someone else if you haven't already been involved. Not that we are involved, obviously, but nobles are weird and assume too much."

"Koto, do you really think I'm someone that cares about tradition? And I imagine demons court a lot, before finally settling down. I've heard the gossip about Yoko, and Kurama turned out fine." Yusuke had a point, but Kurama was a little bit special.

"Yoko was a thief, a criminal. No one could have predicted that he'd become a lord, and he didn't mate a noble. Not that there's anything wrong with Kurama and Hiei, they're perfect for each other, but that's a special case. A noble female would make a good queen."

"You're a noble female." Her fingers stilled in his hair, and she blinked her eyes open to look up at him. "Just saying for the sake of the argument."

"I'm not a good example. I did things that were beneath me, so a lot of nobles don't really like me anymore."

"Well, they're all idiots." Yusuke said it so simply and easily, and Koto bit down on her smile. It was nice having someone on her side.

"Yeah, they kinda are."

"And Yomi doesn't have a mate. Pretty sure he's courting Shizuru, but they haven't made things permanent." Yusuke's voice was quiet, because it was just the two of them in the room. She was in Yusuke's room, in Yusuke's bed, plastered against Yusuke. She knew it was improper, but the thought of moving hadn't even crossed her mind.

"He's still courting someone. All I'm saying, is that it's something you're going to have to think about. You're a king, Urameshi. People will notice things about you because of who you are, and I'm not…I might still have the title of lady, but I'm no one's example of the perfect submissive mate." The words almost hurt to say, but she'd accepted who she was.

"I don't want a submissive mate, and I'm not going to court some noble just to keep up appearances. I'll be here for you if I want to, and to hell with everyone else." She twisted around so that her chin was pressing against his chest, and he smiled down at her. He really meant that, like, really meant it. She shouldn't be so surprised. Since when had Urameshi ever done the normal or expected thing?

"You're a good friend, Urameshi." Yusuke moved the hand in her hair down to her other hip, and she held still as he sat up with her still pressed against him. She was technically sitting beside him, but their fronts were pretty much pressed together.

"Never thought we'd end up like this, huh?" He was unconscious the first time she laid eyes on him; the unconscious human leader of a team that consisted of humans and demons viewed as traitors. Every time he entered the ring, she waited for him to die. How could a human keep winning against demons? Everything about him had been a surprise, so why should this be any different?

"No, but I'm okay with it. How about you?" Her arms were hooked over his shoulders because her fingers were still lost in his hair, and she could feel the backs of his fingers against her tail.

"Yeah, I'm okay with it too."

* * *

 **Ending Note:** Since I'm half asleep, I'm not going to say too much here. If there's any questions about anything, I'd be happy to answer them!

(Also, for a pairing I thought of as a crack!pairing in _**Love, Where Is Your Fire**_ , I've really come to love it. Yusuke and Koto just seem to click to me.)


	6. And A Giant Chocolate Cake

**Author's Note:** I have started another story, but I haven't forgotten this one. I love writing this story, because getting into Koto's head is kinda fun. She's the perfect balance of bloodthirsty and organized. Thank you to everyone reading!

 **Post Date:** 13 July 2016

 **Word Count:** 6240

* * *

 **Chapter Six  
** **And A Giant Chocolate Cake**

Kele and the littlest ones were in the dining room when Koto and Yusuke walked in, and Koto almost couldn't meet her sister's eyes. The pink shorts were hers, but the baggy white shirt was Yusuke's. She could have changed shirts, but she didn't see the point. Nearly every inch of her was covered in his scent, and changing shirts wasn't going to change that. She was strangely okay with it though, with carrying his scent. She never thought she would be, but it wasn't so bad. It was a reminder that Yusuke was willing to be there for her, no matter what. So, she met Kele's eyes as she sat down across from her at the table and didn't bat an eye as Yusuke pushed a breakfast plate in front of her.

"I'm going to start teaching today," Kele said with a small smile. Her older sister was so patient and gentle; she'd make a wonderful teacher.

"Only if you want to," Yusuke said in between bites. She should probably scold him about talking with his mouth full, but she had a feeling that it wouldn't make a difference. He was too stuck in his ways.

"It's the least I can do, to thank you for your generosity, and I'm really looking forward to it. Not enough of the little ones get to have an education, so I'm happy to help." Kisuke was sitting in a cushioned chair next to Kele, and her sister swept a hand over his blonde hair.

"Enki wants to set up a meeting between all the lords to try and fix it. We're going to set up more orphanages and schools. Maybe set up an adoption process. There's gotta be demon couples out there that can't have children of their own but still want to be parents, right?" Koto had just taken a bite, so she slowly nodded her head and looked over at her sister.

"I think that's a wonderful idea, Yusuke." Kele hesitated a little before saying his first name, like she was still not used it, but Yusuke smiled when he heard it.

"I'll add that to my list of things to not forget at important meetings."

"You're such a spazz, Urameshi." Kele's eyes only widened a little as Yusuke started laughing, and Kara and Kimi looked up at the loud sound.

"Takes one to know one." She resisted the urge to elbow him, because she didn't think her sister could handle much more. Breakfast was a little quieter after that, and Koto waved at the little ones as Kele herded them all out of the room. School would be starting soon, and Kuru was already at the school with her friends. It really did look like they were all settling in. "Hey, Koto?"

"Hmm?" She was done eating, so she was just sitting back in her chair and enjoying the feeling of being full.

"Do you like your room?" Well, that was a little random. She looked over at him and raised a brow, and he rolled his eyes as he slumped back in his chair too. "Do you want a room closer to your family?"

"We still live under the same roof, and I like my room. It's got a good view." She really did like looking down over the gardens, and she just got everything placed right where she wanted it. Yusuke looked like he was about to say something else, but Hokushin walked into the room and called his name. Yusuke sighed, like he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, and slowly slid his chair back.

"See you later?" She tipped her head back so she could meet his eyes, and he looked nervous. They spent the whole night snuggling, she was still wearing his shirt, but now he was nervous?

"Of course." She was living in his palace, so they were definitely going to run into each other. Their rooms were right across the hall from each other, for crying out loud. He smiled at her and ruffled her hair, and she tried to swat at him but he moved away before she could reach him. She could still hear him laughing as he walked away with Hokushin, and she spent the next few minutes cursing his name and trying to pat her hair down.

After a few minutes of quiet contemplation, she decided on a plan for the day. All of her family was at the school not too far from the palace, but she'd spent plenty of time with them lately. She was really worried about Juri. They might not have gotten along at first, but they'd become friends over the years. Juri was bubbly and fun to be around, but she hadn't been herself since…well, just since. She could probably use some friendly company, or a distraction. Distractions had helped Koto from thinking about that place, but Juri had barely come out of her room this past week.

"Juri? Can I come in?" She knocked lightly on Juri's door one more time, and she barely heard Juri calling for her to come in. When she walked in, the only thing she could see of Juri was the demon's dark purple eyes. The rest of her was completely covered by the blanket wrapped around her, and Koto felt her heart break just a little for her friend.

"Koto? Is something wrong?" Koto slowly made her way over to the bed and eased herself down onto the foot of it, and Juri's wide eyes never left hers.

"No, everything's just fine. I thought you might want to see some more of the palace today. The gardens are really beautiful. Would you like to see them?" Juri seemed to curl in on herself even more at her words, and Koto slowly reached out to touch her knee. "You're safe here, Juri. Some of Demon World's strongest fighters are here, and none of them would ever let anything happen to you."

"I talked to Yusuke yesterday." Juri let the blanket fall away enough to show the rest of her face and some of her mint green hair, and Koto watched the way that her nose twitched. "I see you've been talking to him too."

"He's not so bad once you get to know him," Koto shrugged. Without the blanket covering her nose, Juri could clearly smell Yusuke's scent all over her. Not that Koto was embarrassed. She'd already made her mind up about that, and it was making Juri smile just the tiniest bit.

"He told me I could stay here, for as long as I wanted. He told you the same thing, didn't he?" Juri wrapped her arms around her upraised legs and dropped her chin onto one knee, and Koto reached up to smooth down some more of her hair.

"Yeah, he did. My whole family is staying too, so the little ones can go to school. Kele even started teaching today." Her sister was going to make an amazing teacher, and she was so happy that her younger sisters were actually going to a school. Not some school like she went to, where they just taught her how to be a good mate. No, they were getting a real education. They could be whatever they wanted once they were done.

"That's very nice of him. I tried not to think about him after the Dark Tournament, you know? I thought that was the most scared I'd ever be. That last fight? Watching Yusuke and Toguro, it was so scary. I was jealous of you then." Juri looked down as she said it, and Koto leaned forward so that she could grab the other female's hands.

"Why would you be jealous of me?" Juri met her eyes, and the other demon was looking a little too pale. Some sunlight would do her good.

"Because you weren't afraid. You pulled me out of there." Koto tried to stop it, but she wound up laughing anyway. She could feel Juri's eyes on her, probably thinking that she'd lost her mind, but she couldn't help it.

"Oh, Juri, I wasn't fearless. I thought for sure that I was going to die that day, along with everyone else. I can't remember ever feeling that afraid, but Yusuke saved us that day. He's pretty good at that, you know. Saving people." Juri returned her smile, and it made the demon look a little more like herself. "So, how about that garden tour?"

"I think, I think I'd like that." Success!

 **.xXx.**

"Have you moved in too?" Yusuke had to take a break from all the politics, which Hokushin was completely okay with. Probably because Yusuke had a tendency to space out and embarrass himself, so Hokushin needed a break too. Separate breaks. He wasn't sure where Hokushin was, but he was sitting on one of the balconies on the second floor that overlooked one of the smaller gardens. The second floor was usually reserved for meetings, and he didn't want to wander too far.

"Enki wants everyone at his palace in a week. We have much to discuss if we want to rebuild Demon World." Kurama didn't take the seat next to him. Instead, the fox walked up to the balcony railing and looked below. "Koto and Juri?"

"I don't think Juri's really left her room much, but if anyone could get her out, it's definitely Koto." The fish demon was wearing a pair of black tights, but her baggy pink shirt nearly reached her knees. Looked more like a dress. She was laughing though, so that was something.

"Is that your shirt?" Yusuke leaned forward a little, and he could see the white shirt that Koto was wearing. It was a little big on her, but Yusuke was okay with it.

"Yeah, I know, it's not proper. Do I really need to be proper though?" Kurama turned so that his back was to the railing, and Yusuke looked away from the gardens to meet the fox's eyes. He seemed to really be thinking it over, which was a little worrying. Kurama always had the answers.

"No, Yusuke, you don't. Not if you're happy." Yusuke shrugged at that, because he wasn't really sure how to explain him and Koto. They were just friends who liked being around each other, and he didn't know why that was such a big deal. Demons were so weird.

"So, one week, huh? I guess demons don't need a lot of recovery time," he sighed. He kept moving for two years, kept fighting for two years, but that was over now. He slept for a week, and now it was time to get back to work.

"It was a little before my time, but I heard stories of the war against the Shadow Warriors. It lasted for nearly three hundred years. The battles lasted for years. Two lords were dead at the end of it, countless lives were lost. Raizen was there the whole time. He never once gave up, and he took over ruling Tourin after the war was over."

"You tellin' me I'm a slacker?" Yusuke asked with a laugh. Geeze, his ancestor fought for nearly three centuries? He couldn't even imagine what it would be like to constantly fight like that.

"I'm telling you that you come from a very strong line. You've always defied the odds. Why stop now?" Kurama was smiling at him, just a little, and Yusuke shook his head. All he'd ever done was what needed to be done. He didn't even have much of a choice in most of it.

"You sticking around?"

"No, I'm just stopping by on my way to Alaric. I'll tell Hokushin about the meeting too so that you don't forget." Yusuke rolled his eyes but didn't correct him, because he did have a bad habit of forgetting…well, everything.

"See you in a week, Kurama." The fox looked like he wanted to say something else, but he held back. Whatever it was, Kurama would tell him in his own time. Laughter caught his attention after Kurama was gone, and he looked back down at the garden. There was a huge butterfly on top of Koto's head, right between her ears, and Juri was laughing as Koto tried to swat it away.

"Lord Urameshi?"

"It's just Yusuke, Hokushin." He pulled himself up out of his chair, listened to the two females below squealing in laughter, and then followed after his second. A king's job was never done.

 **.xXx.**

"Want me to write a speech for you?" she asked as Yusuke slumped back against her legs. She was on her balcony again, looking at the gardens where she spent most of the day, and Yusuke was sitting on the balcony floor with his back against her legs. He'd brought up food for both of them, so she didn't have to make that long trek back down the stairs. She'd missed out on having dinner with her family, but she got to see Kele and the little ones at lunch. Even Kuru tagged along to have lunch with them, and Juri stayed too. She mostly stayed quiet during the lunch, but Kisuke spent most of the time in Juri's lap playing with her long hair.

"Yeah, can you? I suck at making speeches," he groaned around the food in his mouth. No manners whatsoever.

"Depends. Do I get paid for doing your job for you?" She cut off another small piece of meat and popped it into her mouth, and Yusuke rubbed the back of his head against her knee.

"Name your price." Wow, he really must hate making speeches. Wait, he wasn't going to make her give the speech too, was he?! Because she had her limits, and giving a speech to the demon lords was one of them.

"How about a full day pass for Gandara's best spa? I hear they're amazing," she said and relaxed back against her chair. She'd heard some of the other noble females talking about the spas of Gandara, and they sounded absolutely heavenly.

"Gonna leave Tourin for Gandara?" He turned his head to grin up at her, and she pulled on his hair to get him to turn back to his food.

"Just for the day. If I left for more than that, the whole kingdom might fall apart," she said with a quiet laugh. Yusuke just hummed and continued eating, and they stayed quiet for the next few moments. Yusuke took her plate once she was done eating and placed both of their empty plates on the ground next to him, and he shook his head against her knees. Right. She reached down to bury her fingers in his hair, and he sighed as he relaxed completely against her shins.

"I saw you with Juri today. She seemed better." She'd never get over just how thick and soft his hair was; it was kind of unfair. Why did he get to have great hair when her hair was usually an unruly mess?

"I think she's getting there. It'll take time, but I think being here is good for her. I don't think she'd feel as safe anywhere else." She got Juri to laugh and even dance around the flowers a little, so she was counting it as progress.

"I told her she could stay as long as she wanted. No one here will bother her. I've already had a talk with Chu about respecting all of our female housemates." Yusuke said the last sentence slowly, like a parody of regality, and she lightly scratched his scalp before going back to just letting the strands run through her fingers.

"A talk?" She ran into Chu earlier, a little after lunchtime, and he was as much of a gentleman as he was capable of being. Not that she'd ever felt threatened around Chu. He was just a big flirt.

"A talk with fists. I think I got the point across." Yusuke said it with a laugh, like he was thinking of fond memories, and Koto shook her head. He would think of a fight fondly.

"Chu's harmless. Juri and I both know that." The big lug was actually pretty funny most of the time; she was pretty sure that she heard Kele laughing when Chu escorted her back to the school.

"Still, I don't want anyone making anyone feel uncomfortable. You'd tell me if someone bothered you, right?" He was looking up at her again, with her hands still in his hair, and she tapped her fingers against his forehead.

"I'm sure you'd hear about it, after I wiped the floor with them." Her chair shook as Yusuke laughed, but she didn't think it was that funny. She'd had a few nightmares and might have cried on him a little, but she could still take care of herself.

"Well, I've got a week before the meetings start, so how about some self-defense lessons? Think you can take me on?" She kinda liked it when Yusuke got that goofy smile on his face; it made him look younger and less burdened.

"Oh, please, beating you will be a piece of cake."

 **.xXx.**

"Yer doin' it all wrong, kitty! Go fer his left knee!" Chu's loud instructions were enough to distract Yusuke just long enough for her to aim a punch at Yusuke's left knee, and the king yelped as his leg collapsed and he fell to the ground. "Ha! She got ya good, mate!"

"Thanks, Chu. He was really starting to get cocky and annoying," she said as the tall spirit demon stopped next to her.

"Cheater!" Since he was already on the ground, Yusuke tackled Chu at the knees and sent the both of them rolling across the ground. Koto could hear the others venturing outside, probably to see what all the commotion was about, and she cupped her hands around her mouth.

"And Yusuke delivers a delicious kick right to Chu's ribs! No, wait, Chu's back up and ready for more! Chu's got Yusuke on the defensive, and now he's sent him flying! I looooove it!" Yusuke may have went flying after that last hit, but he landed on his feet and started running after her.

"I'll give you something to announce! Get back here!" She squealed as she felt his fingertips just brush her tail, and she pushed her legs just a little bit more.

"I'll save ya, kitty!" Jin swooped in from above and tackled Yusuke, and Koto slid to a stop next to Touya and Rinku. Chu, Yusuke, and Jin were in one great big punching pile at this point, and Koto was just trying to catch her breath.

"Show 'em how it's done, Chu!" Rinku cheered. Touya laughed but refrained from cheering, and Koto slowly relaxed. When Yusuke suggested that she learn self-defense, she didn't expect this.

After they finished eating last night, Yusuke took their plates back down the mountain of stairs and left her to her own devices. She couldn't depend on Yusuke for everything, so she stayed in her own room that night. If she snuck into his room while he was cleaning up their dinner plates to grab one of his shirts to sleep in, well, that was for her to know. It seemed like just having Yusuke's scent on her was enough to keep the nightmares at bay, and she didn't see Yusuke at breakfast. Or lunch. She spent most of the day with Juri, exploring the many floors and rooms of the palace, until Yusuke found her a couple of hours ago. Juri said she was tired and left for her room, and Yusuke led her outside to start her training. She was holding up pretty good, but she wasn't an idiot. Yusuke probably wasn't even using half of his strength against her, but he was a surprisingly good teacher.

"And the winner is…Yusuke!" Chu and Jin were both lying face down on the ground, and Yusuke had one foot planted in the center of their backs. After her declaration, they both jumped up and sent Yusuke tumbling back to the ground.

"Rematch!" Chu and Jin yelled at the same time.

"You heard the lady! I won!" Yusuke cheered as he jumped around the two of them.

"You can have a rematch later, Jin. We have other plans, remember?" The wind demon looked up at Touya's quiet voice, and Koto watched the way that his blue eyes softened and brightened all at once as he looked at his mate. The two of them were gone in the blink of an eye, and Rinku giggled next to her.

"C'mon, Chu! I'm starving over here!" Rinku yelled. The big demon stumbled over to them and tossed Rinku over his shoulder, even though the younger demon had grown a pretty good bit over the years, and Koto looked over her shoulder to watch them stumble away. When she turned back around, all she could see was chocolate.

"Urameshi!" She hit his chest on instinct, and he laughed as he grabbed her wrists. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I don't know how to sneak. Kurama says I stomp too much to be stealthy," Yusuke said with a wide grin. He looked too happy with himself.

"That's true. Now, let me go. You're filthy." Nearly every inch of him was covered in dirt, and there was even a tiny bit of blood on him. Not enough to be alarming or even slightly worrisome; it was bound to happen when three energetic demons who loved to fight wound up in an impromptu battle royal. Yusuke looked down at himself, like he was just realizing how dirty he was.

"I really am, huh? But you're not. You're spotless." Luckily, she'd been wearing a pair of her dark blue tights and a pink tank top when Yusuke pulled her outside. The clothes were easy to fight in. Her clothes were still perfectly clean too, even if they were a little rumpled.

"Whatever you're thinking, no. Urameshi, I mean it! Don't!" It was too late. He'd already grabbed her and started spinning around, and her laughing only paused long enough for her to sneeze as she was suddenly covered in dirt. Yusuke hadn't been paying attention while they were twirling around, so he tripped over one of the pretty garden decorations and sent them spiraling towards the ground. He was able to twist around so that his back hit the ground, and his body cushioned her fall. The air was still knocked out of her, just for a moment, and she was right back to laughing when she caught her breath.

"And what's so funny?!" Her laughing sounded more like screaming as Yusuke rolled them over so that she was the one rolling around in the dirt, and she grabbed a clump of dirt to smash into his hair. His eyes widened as the dirt dug down against his scalp, and she bit her lip to stop from laughing as she waited to see what he would do.

"What's the matter, Urameshi? You can dish it out, but can't take it?" The next handful of dirt tickled against her neck and moved down the front of her shirt, and she gave a war cry as she pushed Urameshi under her.

She lost track of time as they threw dirt at each other and laughed with wild abandon, but the sky was dark when they finally fell still. She could feel dirt literally everywhere, Yusuke was pressed along her right side, and they were both lying on their backs to look up at the sky. Their breathing was still a little labored, but it was starting to regulate. She could feel heat in her cheeks, and something was making her stomach warm. Yusuke's arm was pressed along hers, so was his leg, and she felt…so happy.

"That was crazy, right? We just did a crazy thing." When she looked over, Yusuke was already looking at her. His brown eyes were still bright in the darkness, and there was so much dirt in his hair that it looked almost brown too. She could only see a few black strands still peeking out. His cheeks were flushed too, but he was smiling.

"I can't remember the last time I felt so happy." She could feel Yusuke's knuckles brushing against the backs of hers, and she spread her fingers apart just the tiniest bit. They weren't technically holding hands; his fingers were just slotted between hers, that's all.

"Me neither," he whispered. They should get up, go get cleaned up, but she didn't want to move. She wanted to hold onto this moment for as long as she could, and she didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to think about why Yusuke made her feel so safe and so happy. She just wanted to enjoy this moment, wanted to etch this into her memory and never forget how she felt.

"I don't want you to leave." The words just kinda fell out, completely without her permission, and she was still looking right into Yusuke's eyes. Now he had six days before he had to leave for Enki's palace, and who knew how long the meetings would take? Because Yusuke said meetings, plural.

"I'll be back before you know it." It was said with a small smile, and there was a part of her that wanted to curl up in embarrassment. Yusuke was just her friend, an unlikely friend at that. "And, Koto?"

"Yeah?" He made her too honest; it was like whatever small filter she did have between her brain and mouth was completely gone whenever she was around him. She wasn't gonna think about that either.

"When I'm gone, the whole floor is yours." The whole floor? She was about to yell at him for being cryptic and talking riddles at her, until it clicked. He wasn't really talking about the floor. He meant his room was open to her while he was gone, so he definitely knew that she stole one of his shirts last night. Not just that, but he was okay with it. He was giving her full permission and free reign.

"Don't complain when you come back to pink sheets." She watched the way that his body shook as he laughed, watched the way that the dirt swirled around him at the abrupt motion, and felt herself laughing along.

"I think I can live with that." They fell still again and turned back to look at the sky, and they were most definitely not holding hands as they watched the second moon rise. Not even a little.

 **.xXx.**

The rest of the week passed quickly, but that was probably because Yusuke stuck to a pretty standard routine. Routines made everything pass by quickly. He woke up early enough to make sure that he could get some breakfast, and the breakfast table was usually pretty full. There was Kuwabara, Yukina, and little Tadashi. Chu, Rinku, Sasuga, Jin, and Touya normally joined them too. (Chu was a wildcard; there was no way to predict when he'd show up.) Then there was Koto and her family. It was actually kinda nice to have such a full table first thing in the morning. Being surrounded by loud voices and laughter was a good way to start the day.

Most of his day after that was pretty boring. Jin and Touya kept him up updated on the orphanage; he started the orphanage after the first year of war, and it was some old friends of the Shinobis that set it up and looked after the little ones. Jin and Touya were good with the kids though, so Yusuke was glad that they spent so much time there. Kuwabara, surprisingly, had decided to take over run of the school. Said that he broke enough rules to know what to look for, and Yusuke laughed and agreed. He'd met most of the teachers at the school, since he started it years ago, and they were all pretty amazing. Hokushin took care of pretty much everything else, but his biggest responsibility was the army. He had plenty of officers though, which gave him free time to basically babysit Yusuke.

For the past week, Yusuke had spent most of his days meeting with various nobles. Nothing had been decided by Enki yet, but he wanted the ideas to spread. Like a heads-up. Most of the clans seemed pretty open to all the ideas, even the idea of having a police force. The Demon World would never be completely free of chaos, but the Human World wasn't exactly peaceful either. This would just give the weaker demons a better chance at survival. (Sometimes, he thought about Rinku's story from the Dark Tournament. The kid had been explaining Chu's weird spirit energy, but Yusuke remembered the first part. How could a group of adult demons gang up on a little kid like that?) So, he was doing a good thing, but it was boring and gave him a headache.

There was no point in even trying to lie. For the past six days, the only thing that had gotten him through the day was Koto. At the end of his meetings, they went out into the garden and worked on her self-defense. Not that she really needed much help. The little cat was vicious when she wanted to be. They were mostly focusing on controlling her demonic energy. She was good at using it as a shield, but she needed to learn how to use it offensively as well. She learned fast, so she'd be kicking his ass in no time. That wasn't really the part he looked forward to, even though it usually was pretty entertaining. (When Koto got especially annoyed with him, her nose wrinkled up a little and she growled quietly without even noticing it.)

After they finished with the day's lesson, Yusuke usually had to carry Koto back inside the palace. She sat on the kitchen counter while he made them both a plate of whatever was cooked for the night, because they always ate later than everyone else. They ate in the kitchen, with her sitting and him standing, and talked about the lesson. About how she'd improved and what she needed to work on. They normally didn't talk too much, because they were busy scarfing down food, and they knocked into each other when they walked up the mile of stairs. That was when they separated to go into their own rooms and shower, and Yusuke was always a little impressed when he walked into Koto's room and saw her in one of his shirts. She must be sneaking them out during the day. They ended their nights on her balcony. Koto sat in a chair that he made with her fingers in his hair, and he sat on the floor with his back against her legs. That was when she asked about his day, and he got to rant about whatever nobles he had to deal with that day.

"Are you leaving first thing in the morning?" He hadn't even made it out onto the balcony yet; Koto normally waited until he was sitting down before she started questioning him. Then again, he wasn't going to see her for a while after this. Maybe tonight should be a little different.

"Yep. I'm grabbing breakfast to go." He grabbed her wrist when he reached her, and he was happy to note that she was still wearing the bracelet he made. He hadn't seen her without it since she moved into the palace.

"What are you doing?" It was a valid question, since he pulled her out of her chair. He plopped down into it, was thankful that he'd attached a cushion to it, and tugged Koto over to him.

"I don't think it's fair that I'm the only one that gets petted." Yeah, because that was what it was. Koto may be the cat, but he was the one that got his ears scratched every night. Metaphorically speaking. She mostly just ran her fingers through his hair. Her eyebrows knitted together for a moment, but it didn't take long for her to decide. She turned her back to him and slowly sat down, and his spine straightened the smallest amount when she sat in his lap instead of on the floor.

"It is a little unfair. I deserve better." She slumped back against him and turned so that her cheek was pressed against his chest, and he wrapped one arm around her waist to hold her steady. His other arm rested against her back so that he could reach her hair, and he heard her sigh when he brushed his fingers across her ear.

"Better like a spa in Gandara?" Her hair was still mostly wet, but it was still thick and wavy. He ran his fingers through it, gently, to get rid of the tangles.

"Mmm, that would be amazing. An all day spa. Can you imagine it?" He could, and he didn't like it. He was really not cool with a bunch of strangers touching his body and putting weird things over his eyes. Letting Koto play with his hair was one thing. Strangers? Touching everywhere? Not gonna happen.

"I'll have to talk with Yomi. See what it'll take to get an all day spa pass." Koto rubbed her cheek against his chest before peeking her eyes open, and he rubbed his fingertips against the back of her head as she smiled at him.

"Keep it up and you might get my vote for best king ever." He liked it when Koto teased him; she got this special little manic glint in her eyes.

"Is that all it'll take?" The hand on her waist absently moved to start petting her tail, and he could've sworn that he heard her purr.

"And a giant chocolate cake." Koto twisted until she was curled up sideways on his lap, and he knew this wasn't normal. Definitely not proper, as Kurama would remind him. Normality be damned, it felt right. In these quiet moments, he felt at peace. That was something he hadn't really felt in a long time. It felt like his life had been one great big chaotic mess since he got hit by that car at fourteen, and that was…shit, that was ten years ago. He'd earned some peace, right? Even if that peace did come attached to a bloodthirsty cat demon that liked stealing his shirts and petting his hair.

"I'm going to miss this." He didn't really mean to say that out loud, but Koto kept him honest. Especially when she was yelling at him. Koto lifted her arms so that she could play with his hair, and he stuck to rubbing just one ear.

"So, hurry back." That was her way of saying that she'd miss this too, right? Because he had a feeling that he wasn't alone in this, whatever it was. "Or I'll hunt ya down."

"'m shakin' in my boots."

"You're barefoot."

"Exactly." She pulled on his hair, not quite enough to hurt, and he smiled even though she couldn't see.

Her fingers gentled after that, and he closed his eyes as he started counting how many sweeps his thumb made over the back of her ear. He wasn't sure how long Koto had been asleep when he finally lost count, and he moved a piece of hair away from her cheek. Definitely asleep. She didn't even stir. He shifted his hold on her so that he could stand up, and he felt her fingers pulling on the back of his neck as she mumbled something against his chest. Her bed was perfectly made, because it was always perfectly made, so he had to hold her up with one arm so that he could pull the blanket and sheets back. She sighed as he laid her down, and she wiggled around a little as he pulled the covers back up over her.

"Yusuke." She'd been sleeping in his shirts so much that his scent was clinging to her sheets, and he smiled as she shifted around to get more comfortable. One hand curled up next to her face on the pillow, and her ear twitched.

"Goodnight, Koto. I'll be back soon."

 **.xXx.**

She woke up in her own bed, which was a little weird because she remembered falling asleep with Yusuke. Well, maybe not with him. She remembered falling asleep on him, and she could admit that was a little bit different. Last night had been different. Instead of Yusuke sitting at her feet, she curled up in his lap. They completely switched positions, but she wasn't complaining. She liked having her hair played with, and she really liked it when her ears were rubbed. Kele and her mother had always touched her ears too softly, so that it tickled more than anything, and her younger siblings pulled on her ears a little too hard. Yusuke somehow knew how to apply just the right amount of pressure to turn her into putty. It wasn't fair.

He must have put her to bed after she fell asleep, and the sun was coming in through the open balcony doors. He'd probably already left for the North, where Enki's palace was. When she asked how long he'd be gone, he said it could be anywhere from a couple of days to a week or two. Yusuke still annoyed her, they still fought pretty frequently, but she hoped that he didn't stay gone for weeks. She wouldn't admit it to anyone else, but she was going to miss the idiot. She turned over in bed and ducked under the covers, and the heavy scent of wood and lightning filled her senses. Maybe she should stop wearing his shirts to bed. (She won't.)

"Come home soon. Yusuke."

* * *

 **Ending Note:** Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? I'm writing ahead, just a few chapters for now, and I hate having Yusuke and Koto apart. This story does kind of have a plot though, so it's necessary. Hopefully I'll update soon, and thanks again to everyone reading!


	7. Not Shy

**Author's Note:** Another update! As always, thank you to everyone who's reading!

 **Post Date:** 21 July 2016

 **Word Count:** 6670

* * *

 **Chapter Seven  
** **Not Shy**

"Yo, Yomi!" The goat demon stopped walking, and Yusuke upped his pace just a little bit more to catch up to him. He'd grown a few inches over the years, finally topped out at five-eleven, but Yomi was six-four. Yomi was also a very brisk walker.

"Yes, Yusuke?" The goat resumed walking once Yusuke caught up to him, and Yusuke was able to match his strides. Barely.

"What do I gotta do to get an all-day pass to the best spa in Gandara?" Yomi's head tilted just the smallest bit towards him, but his stride never once faltered.

"You do realize that today was only the first day of meetings? We have several more until we are finished." Of course Yusuke knew that. All the new ideas that were going to be brought up were mostly his, and they only covered the police force today. Enki, Koku, Mukuro, Souketsu, Hiei, Kurama, Yomi, Hokushin, and him were the only ones currently attending the meetings. Oh, and Yuta. The weird little demon used to work for Yomi, but he was the record keeper for Enki now. He was the one that made the notes and then got the paperwork ready.

"It's not for me!" Next week, the nobles would join them. All of the nobles, from every clan in every territory. Yusuke was already resigned to the fact that he'd have a headache for a few days while dealing with them.

"Then who is it for?" They were almost to their rooms now, and Yusuke was looking forward to some downtime. His brain needed to rest.

"Uh, for Koto. And maybe Juri. They went through some pretty bad stuff at the end of the war, and I think it'd be good for them. Help them relax, ya know?" He shrugged even though Yomi couldn't technically see him; the goat had his ways of knowing everything. Probably heard the air shift around his shoulders or something.

"I'll require a favor." What was it with demons and asking for favors as payment? The last time he agreed to that, he somehow became the guardian of a young female demon that used Rinku's face to break things all over the palace. Well, that wasn't fair. Sometimes it was Chu's face.

"What's the favor?" They were at Yusuke's room now, so he came to a stop. Yomi's room was a few doors down.

"Take Shura into your army." Maybe emotions had a taste or something, because Yomi was able to sense his confusion. "My army will always hold back with him, because he is my son. Their king's son. I doubt your army will have the same problem, and I want him to train properly. To reach his full potential."

"Tourin's army is always happy to have someone else to pummel. Send him on over." Yusuke liked Shura, especially now that he was older. He was young and reckless during the first Demon World Tournament, but he'd really matured since then. Both physically and mentally. The kid was pretty polite, and his strength was nothing to laugh at.

"I'll have two passes arranged for them, under your name, and they can go whenever they please." Yes! He couldn't wait to tell Koto! Maybe he should send her a letter or something, but then he wouldn't get to see her face when she heard the news. Hmm, he'd have to think on it.

"Thanks, Yomi." He clapped the goat on the shoulder, dodged the punch aimed at his face, and called out a goodnight as he ducked into his room. Demons.

 **.xXx.**

"Koto?" She lifted her chin from her knee and looked over her shoulder, and her eyes widened the smallest bit when they met Kele's. It was pretty late, so she wasn't expecting to see her big sister in her room. On her balcony.

"Did something happen?" Koto asked quickly. Kele looked fine, but she could be in shock or something.

"No, everything's fine. I just wanted to come check on you." Her right eyebrow raised at that, because she was fine. She was sitting in her chair on her balcony, and she'd been watching the moonlit flowers sway in the light wind. It was a little strange to be out here without Yusuke leaning against her, but it was still peaceful. (It also helped that she was wearing another one of his shirts. This one was green and had full sleeves that reached past her fingertips.)

"Why would you come check on me? I'm fine," she said and smiled up at her sister. Kele was leaning back against the railing, and Koto should ask Yusuke for another chair. That way when she had a guest, who wasn't Yusuke, they could sit with her and enjoy the beautiful view.

"You just seemed really quiet at dinner. Is it Yusuke? Do you miss him?" The questions made her shift a little in her chair, and she curled her legs closer to her torso. She spent most of the day without being anywhere near him, but they did spend their evenings together. Training, eating, and then relaxing before bed.

"Why would I miss that idiot?" Kele had gotten used to their banter now, somewhat, so her sister only closed her eyes for a moment before looking at her again.

"I saw you two, a few nights ago. You were walking up the stairs, and you never stopped touching. When you moved, he moved. It was…sweet." Okay, no, there was nothing sweet about her and Yusuke.

"We're just friends, and it's different with him. He's half human, and he's not from here. Being around him is just easy." There was also the part where his scent made her feel safe and where the best part of her day was running her fingers through his hair, but she wasn't ready to talk about that. She might never be.

"Oh, I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just glad you have him around. I can't remember the last time I heard you laugh like that." Yusuke did seem particularly skilled at getting her to laugh until it hurt, but she didn't like the look on her sister's face. She almost looked…guilty. Kele must have noticed her watching her so closely, because she tucked a piece of black hair behind her slightly pointed ear.

"What is it?" Koto finally asked. Kele clearly wanted to say something, but sometimes her more reserved sister needed a little help getting things out.

"This family has been very unfair to you, Koto. Mother died at a time when you really needed her, and I know I said some harsh things about your choice of…occupation. Yet, despite that, you used the money that you earned from those tournaments to help the family when Father got sicker. That money was yours, but you handed it over without a second thought. When Father passed and everything fell apart, you stepped up again. Found a way for us to escape, and you used yourself as a distraction to save us. If Yusuke hadn't found you in time, you'd be…you would be…you'd be."

"If Yusuke hadn't found me, it would have been my own fault. I'm the one that decided to lure them away. As for the tournament money, what else would I have done with it? Our people needed it, my family needed it, so there was never any question about it. And don't worry about words said years ago. There was never anything to forgive."

"I called you a worthless commoner! How could I say something like that about my own blood?" Kele looked like she was on the verge of tears, and Koto leaned forward in her chair so that she could reach for her sister's hands. A lot of Demon World listened to the broadcasts from the Dark Tournament, which meant that her family and other noble families heard every word she said. She hadn't held back at the Tournament, and it cost her when she returned home. The "coarse" language, her demotion at siding with humans…all of it came back to bite her. At least among the nobles. Most of the other demon classes liked her. Respected her for sticking with it until the very end.

"You were under a lot of stress then, remember? Newly mated, trying for a child, and Mother was already starting to feel unwell. Besides, everything has turned out pretty good, considering. Don't you think?" She stood up as she spoke, and she had to tip her chin up just the tiniest bit to meet her sister's eyes.

"Yes, thanks to you and Yusuke." Koto could argue that, because her family was pretty tough without any outside help, but she didn't want to argue with Kele. So, instead, she just smiled and wrapped her arms around her sister in a tight hug. Kele left a few moments later, and Koto collapsed down into her cushioned chair. For someone so forgetful, Yusuke really was thoughtful.

"Did ya hear that, Urameshi? Kele thinks we're both saviors. Should I tell her that you're the real hero?" There was no answer, of course there wasn't, and Koto dropped her chin to her chest. The scent that still clung to the fabric of the shirt drifted up to her, and she closed her eyes against the comforting scent. One day down. Hopefully not too many left to go.

 **.xXx.**

"I was thinking of going to visit the healers," Koto said and watched the way that her drink swirled around her cup.

"Are you sick?" Juri asked. Everyone else had left for the day, off to their usual duties, so Juri decided to join her at the breakfast table. Juri was getting better at being around people, but it was mostly just in small doses. She was getting there though, and that was what mattered.

"No, I want to help them. I don't know if I have what it takes to be a healer, but I think I wanna try. I'm not squeamish, and I've got a better handle on my energy now. What do you think?" It was an idea that she'd been kicking around her head, because she didn't want to spend her days just sitting around. She wanted to do something with her life, something meaningful. She would've loved to be an announcer for the rest of her days, but there weren't going to be any more tournaments. The Dark Tournament was done with and so was the Demon World Tournament now.

"If it's something you really want to do, I think you should go for it." Juri was moving her food around her plate, but she ate a pretty good bit this morning. That was progress.

"What if I fail?" Talk about being an embarrassment. Too many people knew her name, so if she failed then everyone would hear about it.

"I don't think you know how to fail," Juri said with a quiet laugh. Koto was going to take that as a compliment. "I think I'd like to work in the gardens. I heard some of the workers saying that no one tends to them full-time. My family grew apples, remember? I think I could do it. Do you think Yusuke would let me?"

"I'm sure Yusuke would be completely okay with it. It's too bad we can't ask him today," Koto said and dropped her cheek onto her fist. If Juri got the go-ahead today, she'd have a reason to spend her days outside instead of being in her room.

"I can ask him!" Koto jumped nearly a foot in the air at the loud yell, and Juri's chair would've tipped over if the owner of the voice hadn't caught the back of the chair before it went over. "Sorry, I've just been so bored. It makes me restless."

"Kita! You can't just pop out of nowhere like that!" Koto yelled. Juri had paled considerably since Kita's loud entrance, and the shadow demon frowned just the smallest bit as she looked down at Juri.

"I am sorry for the rudeness. Yusuke asked me to stay behind and keep an eye on everyone, and it's been incredibly boring being stuck in shadow form all the time. I can't even talk to Azuma because he's too far away. I can go ask Yusuke about the garden thing though. Won't take me long, I promise." The blonde haired shadow was rambling, but Koto noticed that Juri slowly relaxed as Kita kept talking.

"I would appreciate that, Kita," Juri said and smiled the tiniest bit. Hmm, that was interesting. Kita gave a very quiet whoop of joy before disappearing completely, and Koto raised a brow at Juri.

"I didn't know you two knew each other." She knew that Azuma and Kita took Juri to the healers that night, but she thought that was the end of it. The two shadow warriors mostly kept to their shadow forms, so Koto had only seen them a few times.

"Kita checked on me every day that first week. Made sure that I was eating and healing correctly. She was very kind." It went against every horror story that Koto heard as a child. Shadow warriors were still boogeymen, even though they'd been wiped out centuries ago. Except for Kita and Azuma, apparently.

"That was very nice of her," Koto heard herself say. Huh. She checked up on Juri whenever she could that first week, but her family kept her pretty occupied. It was like they were scared that if she left their sight, she'd disappear again. Luckily, that only lasted for a few days. If they'd kept it up much longer, she might have gone crazy.

"Yes, it was."

 **.xXx.**

 _"Psst, Yusuke. Can ya hear me?"_ She wasn't talking out loud, because she was in her shadow form, and she watched the way that Yusuke's spine straightened in his chair. He was in the middle of a meeting, Koku was yelling something across the table at Souketsu, so now was a good time to distract him.

 _"Don't do that! And didn't I ask you to stay at the palace?!"_ Yusuke's mental voice was way too loud, and she heard Azuma laughing as she flinched a little at the loud sound.

 _"Juri wanted to know if she could take over tending to the gardens full-time. Like a groundskeeper. You could use one, and I think it'd be good for her."_ She could hear Azuma humming along, which clearly meant that he agreed with her.

 _"You really think it'd help her?"_ The worry in his voice was clear, and she couldn't help her small sense of pride. Yusuke might be a little idiotic at times, but the kid had a huge heart.

 _"Yes, I really do. She needs to get out more. Breathe fresh air and all of that."_ Wow, Koku could yell for a really long time without taking a single breath. She forgot how good the old hag was at that.

 _"Then it's all good with me. How's everyone else doing?"_ If Kita concentrated just enough, she could see Koku yelling at Raizen. Lime hair whipping around her flushed face, arms waving all over the place…Strange how that'd become a fond memory.

 _"Everyone else is fine. The palace, the school, the orphanage…everything is running smoothly. It's almost like your presence means nothing at all."_ She said it with enough humor in her voice to let Yusuke know she was teasing, and she watched the way that his knuckles whitened around the chair arm.

 _"And Koto?"_ Ha! Azuma owed her a new tie. They'd made a bet when Yusuke left for Enki's about whether or not Yusuke would ask about Koto directly. Azuma was sure that Yusuke would keep things vague, but Kita put her money on him asking about her directly. Looked like Azuma wouldn't be getting those new gloves.

 _"She's doing just fine. Want me to pass along a message?"_ She watched the way that Yusuke's cheeks colored and had to hold back her laughter. Their young king was such a cutie sometimes.

 _"Nah, I'm good. Tell Juri I said to go crazy."_

"Yusuke! Can't you hear me?! I've been screaming your name for the past minute! You idiot!" Yusuke dodged the empty bottle aimed at his head, which he never would have been able to do if Koku was actually trying. The lush had surprisingly good aim.

"What?!" This time Kita let her laughter out as everyone turned to look at the youngest ruler, and she could hear Azuma reprimanding her for distracting Yusuke during a royal meeting.

"We need your decision!" Kita hadn't paid any attention to the proceedings, and Azuma must not have been paying attention either because he didn't try to help Yusuke out.

"My decision is…whatever Kurama agreed to," Yusuke said and nodded his head once. The table laughed, except for Kurama who thanked Yusuke for his trust in him.

 _"I'll report back in later,"_ were Kita's last words before heading back to Tourin. When she returned back to the dining area of the palace, Koto and Juri were still talking quietly at the table. Everything had been cleared away, but the two young demons looked blind to everything around them.

"I think you'll be good at it," Juri was saying when Kita let herself slowly materialize. She didn't want to startle the young things again, especially Juri. Two pairs of eyes turned to look at her, and she beamed a smile at them.

"What'd Urameshi say?" Koto asked. She looked hopeful, possibly even more hopeful than Juri, and Kita laced her fingers in front of her.

"He said the gardens were all yours, Juri." The young fish demon clapped a little in her excitement, and Koto raised a fist in the air.

"Will you come with me, Kita? Show me where everything is?" If she did that, she'd have to stay in an actual body for pretty much the whole day. That was something she hadn't done in a while.

"Well, I did help plant the gardens. I guess it's only fair that I help make sure they stay all pretty. Will you be joining us, Koto?" She heard the cat demon talking about going to see the healers, but who knew if Koto was ready for that yet? Being a healer was a noble thing, and it was also very difficult.

"I think I'll do my own thing today, but maybe we can have dinner together? You can tell me how the gardens are doing," Koto said as she got to her feet. Juri followed after her, and Kita looked back and forth between the two of them.

"Dinner sounds…nice. I'll see you then." Koto waved at them both before skipping out of the room, and Kita turned to look at Juri.

"Ready?" The slightly taller female demon nodded her head, and they headed off for the gardens.

 **.xXx.**

"Lady Orikasa!" Wide dark grey eyes immediately met hers, and Koto kept her breathing even and prayed that she didn't blush. You'd think she'd be used to being referred to by her title, but it was something that had always made her feel flustered.

"Are you Hoshimi Nakano? The one in charge of the healing center?" She'd asked a young demon who was in charge, and she was pointed in this direction and told to ask for Hoshimi Nakano. This demon looked young, but looks were very deceiving in Demon World.

"Yes? I mean, yes, that's me. I'm the one in charge," she said with a big smile. She smelled like a dog demon, and Koto could just see the point of her ears through her thick blonde hair. Most of her hair was hanging over her shoulder in a braid, but her bangs were still hanging around her face. She was sitting behind a giant desk, and every inch of the desk was covered in stacks of papers. So she couldn't tell much else about the woman. She was wearing a brown jacket over white bandages that completely covered her chest, but Koto couldn't tell if the bandages extended down any further.

"Well, you already know who I am. Um, Lord Urameshi is allowing my family to stay in the palace, and I was hoping to find something to do to help repay him. I've thought about healing before, but I haven't had much training. A little back when I was still in school, but that was mostly just minor things." Small things like healing her children's boo-boos and ways to soothe her mate.

"You came here, to work?" The pointed tips of the female's ears twitched, and Koto shifted on her feet a little. Yeah, most noble ladies didn't work. If they did, it was small things that they could do from within their home.

"Only if you think I can be useful." The female looked confused for just a moment longer and then her face lit up with a wide grin. She quickly moved around the large desk, and a pair of gloved hands grabbed Koto's and started shaking.

"Oh, we would be most honored, Lady Orikasa! We lost many healers during the war. Some died and others decided to find other options. We could really use the help, and we can teach you what you need to know." The female was talking so fast, and Koto blinked as she really took her in. The bandages stopped at the top of her stomach, as did the jacket, so her midsection was left bare. Her baggy pants were a light blue, with the Tourin crest on the side in yellow, and she had a fluffy tail the same color as her light blonde hair.

"Please, just call me Koto. Especially if we're going to be working together," she said and smiled. The female was still holding Koto's hands, and she looked down at the white gloves. Would she have to wear gloves all the time? There was also a thick black collar around the female's neck, with a red cross right in the center. Would she have to wear one of those too?

"Then you'll have to call me Hoshimi. It's such an honor to meet you," Hoshimi said and finally let go. She had the distinct scent of a dog demon, but she also kinda smelled like a lemon. It was a familiar smell, but Koto couldn't quite place it. She'd smelled it before though.

"Have we ever met? I'm sorry to be so forward, but you smell familiar." Hoshimi's cheeks flushed a light pink, and Koto almost wished that she could take the question back. Almost, because she was still really curious.

"I'm Hokushin's mate. If you're living in the palace, you've probably come across him." This little female was Hokushin's mate? Well, the dog demon was a few inches taller than her, but Hokushin must be a whole foot taller than her. Also, she didn't even know Hokushin had a mate.

"Yes, we've met, but only in passing. I normally only see him when he's dragging Urameshi off to his kingly duties." Koto immediately realized what she said and clapped her hands over her mouth, but Hoshimi was already laughing.

"Hokushin did say that you were a lively one, and that you and Lord Urameshi were good friends. The palace just isn't the same with both of them gone." Oh yeah, Hokushin left with Yusuke to Enki's palace. Hokushin was Yusuke's second, and he was also the only one that could keep Yusuke on track.

"It really isn't," Koto agreed. She still couldn't picture the ever calm Hokushin with the lively demon in front of her, but maybe what they said about opposites attracting was right.

"Healer Nakano! We have a priority patient!" Koto looked up at the blushing young healer in the doorway, and Hoshimi sighed.

"Which one is it is this time?" The tiny mouse demon looked like she was trying to regulate her breathing, and she adjusted the coat she was wearing. It looked like there wasn't any real dress code, except for the black cloth with a red cross. This healer wasn't wearing it around her neck though. Instead it was around her left bicep.

"Chu. It's nothing serious, but he needs to be tended to." Something happened to Chu? Koto thought that he just taught self-defense lessons for the slightly older demon children. Yusuke called it P.E.

"I'll take care of it. Thank you, Niko." The young demon nodded and took off, and Koto turned to look at Hoshimi. The dog demon wasn't looking at her. She was digging through some drawers on her desk, and she yelled out in victory a moment later. Koto actually leaned up on her toes to see what the female was waving around, and Hoshimi handed it over to her. "Just put it around your left bicep. The white color means that you're in training. Once your training is complete, you'll get a black badge."

"I get to start today?" She was wearing a pair of pink shorts over a pair of dark blue tights, and her shirt was sleeveless. She was also wearing a tie that matched her tights, because she wanted to look slightly professional. She slipped the white bandage onto her bare left bicep, and Hoshimi clapped her hands.

"You sure do! You know Chu, right?" Hoshimi was already walking out of the room, and Koto scrambled to follow behind her.

"Yes, for quite a few years now. Why is he a priority patient?" The other healer said he wasn't hurt too badly, so why make him a priority? She liked Chu and everything, but she didn't understand the system.

"All of Lord Urameshi's closest friends are on the priority list. As the Head Healer, that makes them my responsibility whenever they're injured. Also, Chu intimidates some of the other healers. I don't know why. He's completely harmless."

"Harmless when he wants to be," Koto said absently. She agreed with Hoshimi on the harmless thing for the most part. Chu would never hurt an innocent, but he wasn't completely harmless. She'd seen him fight, up close and personal, and it was something she'd never forget.

"Mmm, true." Hoshimi opened a door and stepped in, and Koto followed her in. Chu was sitting on the end of a bed in the middle of the room, and his shirt was missing. Probably disappeared when he got that large cut across his torso. It didn't look overly deep, not deep enough to reach any organs, but it had to hurt. The big demon was smiling though, so it couldn't be too bad.

"Well, if it ain't two of my favorite sheilas! Whattaya doin' here, kitty?" There was only a little bit of red in his cheeks, so he hadn't been drinking too much today. That was good. When he'd had a few bottles, he normally went for her tail.

"She's our newest trainee. So no harassing!" Hoshimi said and wagged a finger at him. The wound on his chest cut across from the right side of his chest and down to his left hip, so Chu placed a hand over the left side of his chest where his heart sometimes beat.

"Best behavior, promise!" he said and winked right at her. Koto wagged her finger at him, which only got Chu to laugh and bleed a little bit more. Oops.

"What happened to you this time?" Hoshimi asked as she lightly pushed on his left shoulder. Chu went down easily, and his large torso seemed to dwarf the small bed.

"Let my guard down 'round one o' the little ones. He didn't mean no harm. My fault for not payin' attention," Chu said and closed his eyes. Hoshimi's gloved hands hovered over his body, and she looked up to meet Koto's eyes.

"Come here, Koto. Can you sense his energy?" Koto copied Hoshimi's pose and let her hands hover just over the cut on Chu's chest. Yes, she could feel his energy. It was tinged with the strong scent of alcohol, and her fingers tingled the smallest bit as she felt it.

"Yes."

"Now, first you have to get a sense of the injury. This one is fairly straightforward. The muscle and skin need to be knit back together. If you focus on his energy, you can use your own to strengthen his and speed up the healing process. Like this." Hoshimi's own light yellow energy seemed to mix with Chu's dark purple energy, and the cut on his chest started to heal. "Chu, do you mind if Koto tries?"

"Go fer it, kitty!" His chest was healed, the healed skin was a little pink, but it would probably be back to normal soon. She moved her hands down to just over his stomach, and she watched the way that her light pink energy mixed with his. It wasn't as smooth as Hoshimi's, there were some sparks that were a little worrisome, but Chu held perfectly still. His skin slowly knitted back together, but the mark where his skin met was a little more jagged than when Hoshimi healed him.

"Good job, Koto!" She healed the second part of his long cut, but the difference between the two healings was very obvious. The place where Hoshimi had healed Chu looked years old, but Koto's area looked like it was still raw.

"Wait, I think I can do a little bit better." She felt her eyebrows pulling together as she focused, and Chu yelped as he jumped off the table. Koto had only seen sparks, mostly lightly pink, and she instantly started apologizing.

"Oh, Chu, I'm so sorry! Are you okay? I didn't mean to—"

"Calm down, kitty. 'm just fine. See?" Chu straightened up, and Koto quickly ran her eyes over his torso. There wasn't any evidence of any kind of wound, except for the blood that had dried against his skin. The mark from the cut was completely gone.

"I did that?" Koto asked and looked over at Hoshimi. The dog demon had a hand covering her mouth, but Koto could still hear the quiet laughter coming from her.

"Points for enthusiasm. We'll have to work on knowing how much of your energy to use," Hoshimi said with a bright smile. She moved over to Chu with a wet cloth, and Koto moved over to stand next to them. Chu reached down and placed a giant hand right between her ears, and she grinned as he ruffled her hair.

"Thanks, kitty." She healed someone! She actually healed someone! It might have hurt him just a little, but he was in one piece so she was counting it as a win.

"She has a lot of promise, doesn't she?" Hoshimi asked as she stepped away. Chu looked just the same as always, and Koto smiled up at him.

"This one can do whateva she puts her mind to. You jus' take care of our girl, eh, pup?" Chu knocked a finger just under Hoshimi's chin, and the dog demon swatted his hand away with a smile.

"I'm five hundred years older than you, remember? And Koto will be just fine in my care, I can assure you." Five hundred?! She never would've expected Hoshimi was that old. Chu talked to them for a few more minutes, until he remembered that he had another class coming up and hightailed it out of there. It was too bad. It was nice seeing a familiar face.

"What now?" Koto asked once he was gone.

"Now, we're going to go back to my office. I am going to work on paperwork, and you are going to meditate. You need to be able to level your energy. Healing isn't like fighting. When you fight, you need your energy to be as strong as it can possibly be. When you heal, you need to be able to adjust your energy to the task at hand. Meditating will help with that. The rest is hands-on."

"Meditating. I can do that," Koto said with a little nod. Hoshimi smiled at her as they left the room, and Koto felt a little bit better about her decision. Maybe she really would be good at this healing thing.

 **.xXx.**

At the end of the day, Koto collapsed against the stairs that led into the palace and looked up at the darkening sky. Meditating took more out of her than she thought it would, but Hoshimi was very patient with her. Even when she lost control of her energy and sent all the papers in the room flying. She picked them up, of course, but it was still a little embarrassing. She felt like she accomplished something though, and she couldn't wait to tell Yusuke about it. If he thought she was just going to sit around and miss him, he had another thing coming! She was so exhausted that she was planning on passing out after she got some food in her, so she had definitely done more than just sit around today.

"Hiya, kitty!" Chu's long body spread out across the stairs next to her, and she couldn't help looking down at his torso. Not because he was ripped, which he was, but to make sure that he was still okay. Yep, still all healed up.

"Chu, I thought Lord Urameshi told you not to bother any of the ladies of the palace?" Koto blinked as she looked up at the new voice, and her eyes widened just a little bit at the sight of the other demon.

He had to be about six-seven, the same height as Chu, and his skin was a little bit darker than the spirit demon's. His black hair was put up into a high ponytail but still reached midway down his back, and there were a few silver streaks mixed into the thick mass. There was also a red headband keeping his bangs out of his eyes; his eyes that were nearly the same bright red color as his headband. There was also a thick scar that ran down the center of his torso, from his collarbones down to his loose black pants. She knew that because he was shirtless, and the sword strapped to his back looked like it was the same size as his torso. He also had a goatee, and she normally hated facial hair but it was working for him.

"Me 'n the kitty are friends. Ain't we, love?" She swatted her tail at him at the endearment, which only made the very drunk demon laugh.

"Friends, yes. Only because you know how to throw a good punch." That made him laugh until his whole body shook, and Koto rolled her eyes at him before looking back to the unnamed demon. "I'm Koto Orikasa."

"Avalon Hisakawa, but I prefer Ava. I have heard much about you, Lady Orikasa, and it is an honor to stand in your presence." There was that lady thing again…why couldn't people just call her Koto?

"It's just Koto, and it's nice to meet you too."

"You forgot the most important part! Tell 'er your title, Ava! Go on!" Chu said and waved his arms around. He nearly rolled over, until Koto grabbed his shoulder and held him still. Ava crossed his arms over his massive chest, and he looked a little uncomfortable. "Ol' Ava is the new general!"

"General? Of Tourin's army?" If he was the general of Tourin's army, then he was very important. Only the strongest of warriors were granted the title of general; they had to be to rule over an entire army.

"Got the promotion just before Yusuke took off! Nothin' to be shy about, Ava," Chu said and grinned. Koto took in a deep breath, and she caught the scent of…bear. Bear and metal.

"Not shy. Just not a bragger, unlike some," Ava said with a pointed look.

"I think he's talking about you, Chu," Koto said and lightly patted the top of Chu's head when he started pouting. Jin and Touya joined them a few moments later, and Koto started feeling just a little bit out of place. She was all for it when warriors were gathered together to battle it out, but they were all close friends and she wasn't all that close to them. She bid them all goodnight, because she was pretty tired, and ran into everyone else in the dining room. Her whole family, plus Juri and Kita, were seated around the table and talking easily.

"Koto! Come tell us about your day! Juri told us that you went to talk to the healers?" Kele called out. Juri smiled shyly at her and mouthed "I'm sorry" to her as she sat down, and Koto shook her head. She wasn't mad at Juri. Her family was going to find out anyway.

Koto told them all about Hoshimi and healing Chu, but she left out the part with the flying paperwork. That was for her and Hoshimi to know. Juri then told her about her day, about how the separate gardens were doing, and Kita said the gardens would be in tip-top shape in no time. Kele talked about her day, about the young demons that she was getting to know as she taught them, and Koto's younger siblings talked about their lessons. Kuru admitted that she'd seen Chu get hurt, she'd been in the same class as the demon that accidentally cut him, and apparently the poor boy had been nearly inconsolable until Chu returned unharmed.

Once dinner was over, they all took their turns hugging and saying goodnight. Her little sisters were getting so big; it wouldn't be long before they were all grown up. Juri even laughed when Kara and Kimi hugged her legs and thanked her for making the gardens all pretty. It was pretty adorable. They separated once they reached her family's floor, and she waved to the little ones as she kept going up the stairs. So many stairs. Why were there so many stairs? At the top, she looked between the last two doors. Her room and Yusuke's. It'd been such a long day, or at least it felt like it'd been longer than usual. She just needed to shower and collapse into bed…any bed should do, right? Like, say, a bed that could fit an army and was softer than angel feathers? Without any more thinking, she turned and walked into Yusuke's room.

She clicked on the lamp next to his bed, and it looked like the thing went on for miles. This was another one of his creations; he crafted the frame with his own hands, but he never explained why the thing was so darn big. She also wasn't sure how he found a mattress and sheets to fit it, but she was pretty sure that they were specially made. His scent was everywhere too, since it was his room. He told her that she could have free reign over the floor while he was gone, including his room, and she couldn't think of a reason not to take him up on his offer. Well, maybe she could, but she wasn't going to think too hard. Instead, she was going to gather some of his clothes and go soak in his giant bathtub. First she was going to rinse herself off, all of the meditating made her sweaty and grimy, and then she'd relax in the tub. Who knew meditating could strain the muscles so much?

"Urameshi sure does know his luxury," Koto sighed once she was in the tub. She could probably swim around in it if she wanted to, but she was feeling perfect right where she was. After a good thorough soaking, she dried herself off and looked at the clothes on the counter. It was the same pair of shorts that Yusuke gave her that first night, and she grabbed another one of his plain white shirts. She had to mix up what she wore each night, or the clothes would lose his scent. That'd defeat her whole reason for wearing them.

The bed was just as soft as she remembered, and she turned off the lamp so that she could burrow down under the sheets. And the big fluffy blanket. She tried to go over her day, to think up ways that she could do a better job the next day, but she was just so tired. She was asleep before she even made it to the part where she got to heal Chu.

* * *

 **Ending Note:** I liked this chapter, even though I hate having Yusuke and Koto separated. It's important to the plot though. Also, I know there were more original characters in this chapter, but that's pretty much it now. No more new characters. Thank you again to everyone who's read, followed, and/or favorited!


	8. Best King Ever

**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who's reading this story, and a special thank you to my _**Guest**_ reviewer! I know that Yusuke and Koto are a weird pairing, but I really do think that they work together. Koto can handle Yusuke's love of fighting, and Yusuke doesn't judge Koto for being a little bloodthirsty. (I also really like writing fluff for them.) So thank you for the review, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

 **Post Date:** 29 July 2016

 **Word Count:** 6160

* * *

 **Chapter Eight  
** **Best King Ever**

"There you go, all better!" Koto smiled down at the little leopard, and his grin was all fang. Just one. On the left.

"Thank you, Healer Orikasa," his mother said with a deep bow. The little guy had tried to climb a tree and broken his arm, but Koto was able to set him to rights. The area would still be a little tender for a day or two, but he would be fine as long as he took it easy.

"You're welcome," Koto said with a bow of her own. As a lady, she only had to bow at the waist to the Lords of Demon World. To another noble, she only had to bow her head. She wasn't a lady right now though; she was a healer.

"It's barely been a week, and you've already improved so much. You're a natural, Koto," Hoshimi said and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Does that mean I'll get to change this in for a black one soon?" she asked and pulled at the white badge on her arm. As a trainee, another healer had to be with her at all times to supervise. Hoshimi was the healer that she spent the most time with, but Hoshimi was very busy as the Head Healer so she sometimes got supervised by someone else. All of the healers had been very kind and welcoming though, so she didn't really mind the trainee status.

"Let's give it a few more weeks, hmm?" Hoshimi squeezed her shoulder before walking away, and Koto bit down on her smile as she walked behind her. Koto still worked on her meditation when there was no one that needed to be treated, and Hoshimi wasn't wrong about there not being a lot of healers left. Koto made the eighth healer; if anything huge happened, they'd never be able to keep up.

"Fine, but only because you asked so nicely." Hoshimi was whatever her patient needed, so she could bounce between professional and familiar. When it was just the two of them, the dog demon was very laidback. It was comforting, and Koto felt like she'd made another friend even though it'd only been a week.

After a few hours of focusing on her energy, Hoshimi let her go to lunch. The other female said she had other business to attend to and that Koto could take all the time she wanted. As long as she returned before the day was over. The dog demon must have been in contact with her sister, because she ran into Kele as soon as she reached the palace. Kele was on her lunch break too, and she'd forgotten to bring her own lunch to the school. So she was returning to the palace for something quick to eat. The two of them made sandwiches that they could easily eat while walking, and it was nice to walk with her older sister. She decided to walk her back to the school, and she'd double back to the healing center after Kele was working again.

"I'm glad to hear that it's going so well," Kele said once Koto finished telling her about her morning.

"It really is. I love doing it." Seeing that little boy smile at her earlier after she made his pain go away? That was something special.

"Then I'm happy for you." Her sister looked happy too, which was such a good look on her.

"What about you, Kele? Are you happy?"

"Of course I am. The school is—"

"I don't mean just the school. Are _you_ happy? I know it probably hasn't been easy since Ginku's death, and I know you'll pretend to be happy for all of us. So, are you really okay?" Kele stopped walking, and Koto felt a little guilty for asking a question that probably seemed like it came out of nowhere. Koto had been thinking about it a little though. It couldn't be easy, losing a mate. Father was only able to hold on for a few years after her mother's death, and she'd heard other stories of demons dying right after their mates. Kele and Ginku weren't mated for very long, but she still worried about her sister.

"It may sound cruel, but I did not love Ginku. He was kind and a good mate, and I did care for him. I just didn't love him. Maybe, in time, I would have. Losing him was painful; I had just grown accustomed to always feeling another person's energy wrapped in mine and then it was gone. I think that was the hardest thing. That empty feeling? I have Kisuke though, and the girls, and you. I am happy, Koto, truly."

"You'll fall in love one day, Kele. I just know it." Her sister was so gentle but strong; one day, someone would come along and love her the way that she deserved. No more arranged matings, like she had with Ginku.

"So will you." With one last smile, Kele turned and walked into the school. Koto made her mind up a long time ago about her future mate. When she did decide to tie herself to another demon forever, it would be out of love. Love and nothing less.

 **.xXx.**

"The nobles will be here tomorrow," Yusuke sighed. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, and Azuma took form across from him. The tall shadow warrior crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, and it was kinda nice to see him. Azuma was quieter than his sister, but he made random comments during the meetings. They normally made Yusuke laugh at inopportune times, but Azuma kept him on his toes and focused. He'd been here for a week, and he was really starting to miss the palace.

"The nobles are nothing to worry about. They might make a small fuss, but they'll go along with whatever the lords decide," Azuma said with a nod in his direction. He was the youngest of all the lords, but demons didn't care much about age. He was respected because of his power, which was okay with him. He worked hard to get this strong. Even had to die a couple of times.

"I know. I just wish I didn't have to listen to it." Just the thought of a room full of nobles, politely yelling, was enough to set his teeth on edge. If he could go back to the palace, just for a night, he'd feel better. Rejuvenated.

"It won't be easy, on me, but I can take us back. We'll be there within a minute. I won't have the strength to return us until the morning though." Azuma had a look on his face like he wanted to smile, and Yusuke thought it over. If they could get back before the next meeting started, why not? He just wanted to sleep in his own bed for a night, and there was nothing wrong with that.

"You'd really do that?" He didn't want to be selfish and hurt Azuma.

"Of course. It'll be nice to see Kita again. We normally don't spend time apart." So this was for Azuma too. There was no reason why they both couldn't get what they wanted, just for a night.

"Alright. Let's go then." He'd already changed for the night, so he looked a little ridiculous in his loose gray shorts next to Azuma's perfectly tailored suit. Whatever. All he was gonna do was go to sleep, so all he needed was his shorts. Did Azuma and Kita sleep in their suits?

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response." Azuma gripped his shoulder, and Yusuke stopped breathing as the world went black at the edges. Then everything just went black and he couldn't have taken a breath even if he wanted to. It felt like a mountain was sitting on his chest, just for a few seconds, and then he could breathe again. The pressure on his shoulder was gone and so was Azuma.

"Urameshi?" The quiet voice made his eyes pop back open, and he squinted in the dark room. Did Azuma accidentally drop him off in Koto's room? No, this was definitely his room.

"Koto?" The lamp next to the bed flicked on, and the first thing he noticed was how Koto's hair was sticking up all over the place. She was wearing one of his old school uniform shirts, and the green sleeves hung down past her hands. Her hands, which were resting on top of the tossed back sheets. The bright pink sheets.

"Your bed is bigger and softer than mine, and I warned you about the sheets." She must have noticed him staring, and he moved his eyes back up to her face. She'd definitely been sleeping, because there was a small crease on her cheek from the pillow.

"How are you not burning up in that thing?" he asked and pulled on the end of the sleeve. He was standing next to the bed now, on his side of the bed, and Koto tipped her head back to look up at him.

"I get cold when I sleep," she shrugged.

"Well, scoot over. I'm only here for the night, and I'm freakin' exhausted. Don't know why fate thought making me a leader was a good thing." Koto scooted over while he was talking, and he dropped down into the empty space. He sighed as he laid down, and he reached out to turn the lamp back off. Huh, the sheets were definitely new, but they kinda smelled like him. Probably because Koto had been wearing his clothes to sleep in, which meant that she'd been sleeping in his bed a lot. Possibly every night since he left.

"Just for the night?" she asked once he fell still.

"This week was just for us lords. We start meeting with the nobles tomorrow, which will probably take another week. I've had a headache since I left." Koto made a quiet cooing noise at him, and he almost told her right where to shove it when he felt fingers in his hair. The touch instantly had him relaxing against the bed, and he felt the bed shift as Koto got closer. Her feet touched against his shins, and he nearly flinched back from the cold feel of them. The only reason he stayed was because he felt bad for her poor toes; she needed some warmth, and he had plenty to spare.

"You poor thing. Feelin' any better?" Now that she'd brought it up, his head did feel a lot better. It wasn't just from her fingers playing with his hair, even though that did feel amazing.

"What'd you do?" Her arms came fully around him, so that she was nearly holding him to her, as her fingers swept down the back of his neck. Whatever tension he'd been carrying slowly disappeared, and he sighed at the loose feeling.

"I've decided to become a healer. I've been training this past week, and Hoshimi says I'm a natural." Hoshimi…that was Hokushin's mate. He'd only met the dog demon a few times, but he liked her. She was funny and nice, and she was really good at running the healing center.

"You'll have to tell me all about it." His voice sounded slurred even to his ears, and he heard Koto's quiet laugh.

"Later. Get some sleep, Urameshi." Her feet were slowly warming up, because they were trapped between his calves, and he could feel his every muscle turning into putty as Koto played with his hair.

"Night." He thought he heard her say something else, but he was asleep before the words could register.

 **.xXx.**

"Koto, don't forget that you're—Oh! I'm sorry!" Koto was still trying to wake up when the door slammed closed, and she blinked against the dull light in the room. The first sun hadn't even risen fully yet, but that had definitely been Kele's voice. Telling her not to forget something before running away. Why would she… _oh_.

"Too much noise. Make it stop," Yusuke groaned and pressed his face against the top of her chest. His hair tickled the side of her neck, and she looked down at him with wide eyes. He was completely bare from the waist up, which was unusual. He always wore a shirt when they slept in the same bed, but he probably wasn't expecting her last night. He'd also looked so tired.

"Come on, Urameshi, wake up. It's morning, and you have some nobles to ignore," she said and reached for his hair. That was the wrong thing to do, because he just sighed and slumped against her even more. It was a little different, being the one to hold him. She was lying on her back, and Yusuke was curled up against her side with his head on her chest. Her feet were still trapped between his legs, but she wasn't gonna complain because her feet were actually warm for once.

"What are you not forgetting?" The words were muffled against her shirt, against his shirt, and she scratched her short nails against his scalp.

"Kele has a teacher's meeting this morning, so I have to get the little ones up and off to school." Her arms were wrapped around Yusuke's shoulders, and he had one arm thrown across her midsection.

"When do you have to do that?" He still sounded like he was half-asleep, and she was almost sorry that she woke him up.

"In about a half hour or so. When do you have to leave?" He slowly lifted himself up at that, and she kept her eyes locked on his. She was no stranger to seeing Yusuke shirtless, but they weren't in an arena where he was fighting for his life. This was a little bit different.

"A lot sooner than I want to." He smiled at her, but the look didn't reach his eyes at all. She watched as he rolled off the bed and stretched out the kinks in his body, even though she told herself to look away. He wasn't wearing a shirt, so she could see the way the muscles in his back pulled and stretched as he moved.

"Maybe it won't take a whole week and then you'll be back home." She did her best to sound optimistic, and Yusuke smiled at her over his shoulder before moving over to his closet. He pulled out some clothes and then moved into the bathroom, and Koto scrubbed a hand through her hair before crawling out of bed. First things first.

"You know you don't have to do that, right? It's just gonna get messed up again tonight." Koto finished tucking the sheet in and tried to gentle her glare as she looked at Urameshi. He was wearing mostly dark blue, his pants and sleeveless shirt were the same dark color, but there was a yellow sash around his waist. It was slightly more formal than his usual clothes but not by much.

"I'll make the bed if I want to, and you can't stop me," she said and stuck her tongue out at him. She turned back to the bed to put the blanket in its place, and she yelped as hands grabbed her waist and twisted her around. Her back bounced off the mattress before falling still, and she held her breath as Yusuke pressed his fingers against her ribs. Not another tickling match. She hated being tickled.

"One day. Go one day without making the bed. If something horrible happens, you can make it every morning." His fingers lightly danced across her ribs, and she squirmed as she did her best not to laugh. Just when she thought that the light teasing touches were going to break her, he moved down and grabbed her ankle.

"Not the feet! One day! But that's all!" He grinned up at her, and she pushed her free foot against his shoulder. He moved back, but he pulled her along with him since he was still gripping her ankle. He let her go so that she could stand up, and she raised her index finger and pointed it right between his eyes. "Cheater!"

"I think the word you're looking for is persuasive." Damn him! She'd actually missed that stupid goofy looking smile of his, and it'd only been a week. A week. He was going to be gone for another week.

"Really? Because I think the word I'm looking for is annoying." They were standing too close together. She could feel the bed against her bottom, because it was really high off the ground, and she could feel the heat that was always pouring off of Yusuke.

"I guess that means you don't want that all-day spa pass." She felt her jaw slacken so that her mouth fell open, and Yusuke had this special little glint in his eyes. "And after I went through the trouble of getting Yomi to arrange everything. I guess I'll just tell him I don't need the passes after all. He'll be so—"

"Urameshi!" There was hardly any space between them, so it was only too easy to jump up and hug him. Her arms locked around his neck as all the laughter she'd been holding back came spilling out, and she felt Yusuke's hands on her thighs to help hold her up. Right, because her legs were wrapped around his waist. She was too happy to feel embarrassed.

"Best king ever?" He sounded like he was choking, probably because she was holding on too tight, and she leaned back a little. His eyes were wide and shining, and she swept her hand over his hair. He had gel in it, so she couldn't really run her fingers through it, but she wanted him to know that she was happy.

"You said passes," she pointed out.

"I thought Juri might want to go with you," he shrugged. His whole upper body shifted with the movement, so she did too. Her fingers laced behind his neck, and she couldn't stop smiling. He got her a pass, and he got one for Juri too. There was that thoughtfulness of his.

"You gotta stop surprising me, Urameshi. It gives me heartburn," she said, smiling all the while. Her chest did feel warm and tight, but it was a good feeling. A really good feeling.

"Can't you just say thank you like a normal person?"

"You don't like me normal." She said it as a tease, because she liked their banter, but her words struck a chord. In both of them, going by Yusuke's surprised look. Neither of them were normal, they were both a little different, but it worked for them.

"No, I don't." He raised one hand to pass it over her hair, and she probably looked like a mess. She'd seen her hair first thing in the morning, and it wasn't pretty. Yusuke wasn't looking at her like she had a wild animal on her head though; his look was…gentle. It made her throat feel dry and her fingers shake, and she slowly loosened her legs. Yusuke let her other leg go so that she could stand on the ground again, but she kept her hands braced against his shoulders.

"Tell Yomi I said thank-you." Her words broke whatever train of thought he was having, and he smiled at her as he brushed out a wild tangle with his fingers.

"I'll think about it." His eyes moved over to the open balcony doors, and Koto noticed that more light was starting to fill the room. "I really should get back."

"Then I guess I'll see you when you come home." They let go of each other at the same time, and Yusuke took several steps backwards.

"It's the Gardenia Spa. Just give them my name." She nodded at his words and raised her arms up to wrap them around her middle.

"Goodbye, Yusuke." His eyes widened a little when she used his first name, because she rarely used it.

"See you soon, Koto." A shadow fell over his shoulder, and he was gone after her next blink. The room felt a little colder without him in it, but Koto shook it off. She needed to get ready for the day, and she needed to go wake up the girls. Kisuke was with his mother, but the rest were her responsibility this morning. Yes, she had responsibilities. Just like Yusuke did.

 **.xXx.**

 _"Then I guess I'll see you when you come home."_

 _"We should go now, Yusuke," Azuma whispered. Koto's hands fell away from his shoulders just as he removed his hands from her hair, and he took a few steps back. If he stayed that close, he'd blow off the meeting just so that he could brush out all the tangles with his fingers._

 _"It's the Gardenia Spa. Just give them my name." Her hair bounced around her face as she nodded, and she raised her arms up to wrap them around her stomach. Like she was hugging herself. She almost looked like a little kid, especially in his too big clothes. His shirt hung down on her like a loose dress, and the pants she was wearing went past her feet._

 _"Goodbye, Yusuke." He hadn't heard her say his name in a while, but he liked it when she used his first name. She looked so small, standing in his room in his clothes. He didn't want to leave her._

 _"See you soon, Koto." He felt a hand gripping his shoulder, and they were gone in the blink of an eye. When Yusuke could breathe again, he was back in Enki's palace._

"Your energy disappeared last night. I hope you managed to get some rest for today," Yomi said after Yusuke sat down next to him. He should have sat next to Hiei, but that also would have put him next to Koku. She tended to hit the people next to her when she started ranting, and the woman ranted like most people blinked.

"I just went home for a little while. Wanted to sleep in my own bed," Yusuke answered. He wasn't really sure when his palace in Tourin became home, but that was what it was. Home.

"I wish I'd had the same luxury," Yomi said quietly. Gandara wasn't that far away, but it wouldn't do Yomi any good to go back there. Even if he ran at full speed, he'd have to turn around as soon as he made it to his palace to make it back in time.

"I don't know, I think it made me even more homesick." He only got to be there for a few hours, and now he missed it more than he did before he went back.

"I think I can understand the logic behind that." Yomi's ancient and kind of a genius, so he could probably understand the logic behind most things.

"Time to begin!" Enki yelled. Yusuke sighed and sat up a little straighter in his chair, and he listened as Yuta started rattling off names. Time to begin the start of his next headache.

 **.xXx.**

Seeing Yusuke almost felt like a dream as she carried her two youngest sisters down the stairs. She almost couldn't believe that she'd actually seen him, but his scent was even stronger than usual this morning. It didn't matter that she was in her own clothes; his scent kind of eclipsed her own, just a little bit. That was how she knew that it was all real, even as Kara and Kimi talked rapidly into her ears. Kuru was lagging behind them, still half asleep, and it made Koto grin. She used to wear that exact same look when she was forced to wake up and go to school. Kuru liked school, liked learning and spending time with her new friends, so they differed there. Koto hated school, but that was because she wanted to learn how to do something more than mend her mate's clothes. Why couldn't he mend them himself?

Her train of thought was cut off as she walked into a brick wall, and she cried out as she felt Kara and Kimi falling off her shoulders. Where'd the wall come from? She waited to hear her little sisters' screams, but she heard giggling instead. Giggling? Her eyes slowly opened, despite the little bit of pain bouncing off her skull, and she saw skin and scar tissue. A lot of skin and scar tissue. She tipped her head back, way back, and a pair of wide red eyes looked down at her. It was the general that she met earlier in the week, Ava. Kara was on his left hip, and Kimi was hanging from his right arm. The giant demon looked slightly alarmed, like he didn't know what to do with the two giggling children.

"Oh! Sorry for running into you, general. And, uh, sorry for throwing my little sisters at you?" The two little girls laughed a little louder, and she felt Kuru's arm brush hers as the teenager stopped next to her.

"He's the general of Tourin's army? I thought Tourin's army was just monks." Koto turned to glare at her, but Kuru didn't look effected in the least. It was that thick hide of hers. Koto would be proud, but it was working against her right now.

"The main part of the army is, yes, but Hokushin thought it would be better to bring in different demons. Said something about diversity. And, please, just call me Ava."

"Hi, Ava! My name's Kara!"

"And I'm Kimi!"

"Kuru." With that last introduction, Kuru moved around all of them and walked into the dining room. Right, she needed to get the girls fed and off to school.

"Are you going to eat breakfast with us, Ava?"

"Yeah, Ava, are you?" The big bear demon looked between the two little girls, and Koto shook her head. He was clearly on his way out of the dining room, because he probably just ate. Wait…why was he here? She thought the army had their own private quarters somewhere separate from the palace?

"The army does, but Hokushin insisted that I stay in the palace. Because of my new rank." Oops, she must have asked that out loud. He smiled at her and then looked down at the two little ones. "I have already eaten my breakfast, but I will wait for you both tomorrow."

"Okay!"

"Don't forget!" Kara and Kimi wiggled down to drop to the floor, and Koto leaned to the side to watch them run into the dining room. Energetic little things.

"Ignore them. They just get really excited around new people," she said with a shrug. Ava didn't look annoyed, but he might be good at hiding his emotions.

"They're cute. Sisters?" She nearly thanked him for not thinking that the little ones were hers, which had happened once or twice. Especially with Kimi, since they had the same hair.

"Yep, all three of them. My older sister is at the school, teaching, but I'm sure you'll get to meet her soon."

"I'm sure that I will. Take care, Koto." He bowed his head to her, even though he really didn't have to, and she stayed still as he moved around her. If she had tried to move at the same time as him, she probably would have given herself another headache by running into him. A pair of footsteps were headed her way, and she looked over her shoulder.

"Mornin', Juri!" The table was going to be pretty empty today. Kele, Kuwabara, and Yukina were all at the school. Along with Kisuke and Tadashi. The others should be along soon though, and they were the rowdiest of them all anyway.

"Good morning, Koto!" The fish demon was looking better and better with each passing day, and Koto knew that it was because of all the time she spent in the gardens. Various demons stopped by to talk to her, but it was only one or two at a time so that Juri never felt overwhelmed. She wasn't sure if it was by fate or on purpose, but she was happy either way.

"I've got something I need to talk to you about…" Yusuke got two all-day passes to a spa in Gandara, and she really hoped that Juri would come with her.

When breakfast was over, Chu offered to escort the girls to the school. Chu wasn't the most reliable sometimes, but Rinku and Sasuga were with him. Those two were pretty good at keeping him on track. Jin and Touya left at pretty much the same time, and Koto leaned back in her chair to look at Juri. Her friend had seemed pretty excited for her when Koto first started talking about the spa, but the bright look in her eyes had dimmed a little when Koto mentioned a second pass for her. Maybe she didn't think this through? She was sure that her and Juri had talked about the spas in Gandara, but that was _before_.

"I'm sorry, Koto. I just, I don't think I'd be comfortable, you know? I don't really…I don't like people touching me." The words were whispered, and Koto felt like her heart was breaking. She'd noticed that Juri wasn't as touchy as she used to be, but she hadn't dwelled on it.

"Juri, I hate to ask, but did something happen before I found you? Did one of them, did they?" She couldn't even say the words!

"No, none of them…did that, but it was close. If you hadn't arrived when you did, that very moment, my answer would be different. I can still feel their hands on me though as they fought over who got to have me first. Being in the gardens helps, and I do feel safe here. I know that no one here will hurt me. I don't think I'd handle leaving very well, or having someone touch me while my guard is down. I'm sorry, Koto." She wanted to hug her friend, to assure that she had absolutely nothing to apologize for, but she held back out of respect.

"Nothing to be sorry for. You're my best friend, so you got first dibs," she said and made her lips stretch in a smile. It worked, because Juri shakily smiled back at her.

"You're my best friend too, Koto. Maybe you should take Hoshimi? We're in a state of peace, and I bet she could use the little vacation. It sounds like she works herself too hard." Juri wasn't wrong about that. Hoshimi really did push herself, so maybe she'd be up for a spa trip.

"Brilliant idea as always!" Juri's smile was more genuine this time, and Koto walked with her friend out into the gardens. They parted with a promise to meet up for dinner, and Koto moved off to the healing center. Maybe Hoshimi would go with her, because she didn't want to go alone. If it came down to it, she'd even take Chu with her. The entertainment value alone would be worth whatever mayhem he caused.

 **.xXx.**

"Oh, hey, Kita." The shadow's presence finally registered, and Yusuke sat up straighter in his chair. She was standing on the other side of the table, smiling just a little, and Hokushin stirred next to him. "Is something wrong?"

"Nope, nothing's wrong. Just thought I'd report in." He really didn't like the look on the shadow's face. There was too much mischief there. This was the only break they were going to get today, a break that was just long enough for them to eat, and he was hoping to enjoy the silence.

"Then report." It was just him and Hokushin here, and he could trust Hokushin with anything.

"The gardens are flourishing, the school is filled to capacity, the orphanage is doing very well, and the healing center is operating smoothly. Oh, and I need your approval for one small thing." There was something in her eyes that he couldn't put his finger on.

"What is it?" He only had about five minutes of this break left, and he didn't want to spend them slowly dragging information out of Kita.

"Koto and Hoshimi would like to take a carriage to Gandara." After hearing his mate's name, Hokushin leaned forward in his chair and moved to catch Kita's eyes.

"Why are they going to Gandara?" Hokushin asked slowly.

"Yusuke got Koto two all-day passes to Gandara's best spa. Juri declined the offer, so Koto asked Hoshimi. She was very grateful." Juri declined the offer? Huh, maybe she wasn't into the whole spa thing. (Which Yusuke completely understood.)

"That was very kind of Lady Orikasa." Kita's smile gentled some when she bowed her head in Hokushin's direction, but it had that same manic edge to it when her bright eyes moved back over to him.

"Yeah, it's fine with me. Can you ask General Hisakawa to watch over the palace?" Kita's smile dimmed as her eyebrows drew together, and Yusuke rolled his eyes. "I want you to go with Koto and Hoshimi. Make sure that no one messes with them."

"Oh, gotcha. I'll keep an eye on them. Anything else?" Yusuke looked over at Hokushin, and his second shook his head.

"Nope." Kita faded away into nothingness and then she was just gone. Yusuke turned towards Hokushin, to assure him that his mate would be totally safe in Kita's care, but Yuta called for them to return to the meeting room. Time to head back to the nobles. It was only day one, and his head was already pounding.

 **.xXx.**

"Koto!" She paused in front of the steps leading into the palace, and Hoshimi slid to a stop in front of her a moment later.

"Everything okay?" It'd been a few hours since she left work, but she was just now returning to the palace. She didn't go anywhere special, just walked around and let her thoughts drift, but she knew it was time to head home when it started getting dark. Her family would worry if she wasn't there for dinner, and she hated making them worry.

"Yes, everything's fine, I just wanted to talk about our trip. Is the day after tomorrow okay? I'll need tomorrow to tidy up a few things, and I was thinking we could be gone for three days? You know, make it a real vacation." Hoshimi's smile was bright and excited, and Koto was really glad that she asked the dog demon now. All of the other nurses agreed with Koto when she said that Hoshimi needed to take a break, and together they were all able to convince Hoshimi that the healing center would survive without her for a few days.

"Sounds great to me! We'll make it to Gandara in a few hours using the carriage, so we'll be able to enjoy the all-day spa on day one. What do we do with the other two days?" Hoshimi's cheeks flushed a light pink, and Koto felt her curiosity rising. What did the dog demon have in mind?

"I was thinking, maybe, that we could go to Enki's palace? I know that they're all very busy, we'll probably be bored most of the time, but we could have dinner with the boys. Hokushin stayed gone for two years, and I only got to see him in passing. Then he was only back for two weeks, and he was unconscious for the first week! I just…I really miss him." Hoshimi spoke so quickly that Koto had to strain to hear her, and she felt her heart breaking just the smallest bit for her boss. It did sound really unfair.

"Going to Enki's palace sounds like a wonderful idea. I'm sure we can find ways to entertain ourselves during the meetings. Oh! We should surprise them!" Koto clapped a little at the end, and Hoshimi's dark gray eyes seemed to light up at the idea.

"You're a genius, Koto!" Two strong hands pushed against her cheeks, and Hoshimi placed a noisy kiss against her forehead before running off. "See you tomorrow!"

"See you!" She waited until she couldn't see Hoshimi's form before turning inside, and she was still smiling as she walked towards the loud dining room. Hmm, sounded like Chu was challenging Kuwabara to an arm wrestling match. That was a bad idea. Koto propped up against the doorway of the dining room and smiled as everyone started cheering. Kuwabara was on one side of the table, Chu was on the other, and their hands were locked over the center of the table.

"Get him, Chu!" Rinku yelled.

"You got this, Kuwabara!" Sasuga cheered. Sure enough, a few moments later, Kuwabara was able to overpower Chu. Kuwabara's side of the table erupted into loud cheers while Chu's side ganged up on him, and Koto felt her shoulders shaking as she held in her own laughter. Kuwabara might have started as a human, he was technically still human, but he was strong.

"Koto!" Her youngest sisters ran to her and started telling her about their day, and she placed a hand on their backs to steer them back to the table as they talked up at her. She was going to miss this, a little, while she was on vacation.

* * *

 **Ending Note:** Yusuke came back! It was only for a night, but I really love writing Koto and Yusuke together. The next chapter should be…interesting, so stay tuned!


	9. Blank Day Ever

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the late update. I've been working on my other active story lately, but I haven't forgotten this one. I'm thinking it's only got a few chapters left, but I really do love working on it. Thank you to everyone who's reading, and I hope you enjoy the update!

 **Post Date:** 09 August 2016

 **Word Count:** 5445

* * *

 **Chapter Nine  
** **[Blank] Day Ever**

The carriage had two cushy bench seats inside of it, just large enough for her and Hoshimi to lay across. They left the palace before the first sun rose, so she was happy to see the large cushioned seats. Hoshimi clearly thought the same thing, because the dog demon immediately dropped back into sleep as soon as they were inside. Koto followed not too far behind, and she had only been awake for a few minutes. She'd pulled back the curtain covering the small window, and the first sun had the landscape bathed in a gentle light. They were close to Gandara, and it was still pretty early in the morning.

"Spa?" Hoshimi was rubbing her fists against her eyes when Koto looked over, and it was kinda adorable. Especially since her hair was all over the place.

"Soon." She could see Gandara now, and it didn't look anything like Tourin. Most of Tourin was like a desert, except for a few places where demons had put down strong roots. Those places tended to have trees and other various plants. Even the palace, which once looked like a graveyard rising out of a wasteland, was awash in green. Gandara was all smooth lines and small tastefully done gardens. It was different, but she still liked it.

"Mmm, a whole day of rest and relaxation. Sounds almost too good to be true, hmm?" Hoshimi was looking out of the window on her side of the carriage, and she'd managed to get her hair to lay down. A month ago, Koto was running for her life. Exhausted, scared, in pain…Yeah, it did almost sound too good to be true.

"We've earned it," she said with a big smile. Hoshimi had probably earned it more than she had, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to enjoy herself today.

Barely even ten minutes later, the carriage stopped in front of a giant building. The carriage doors were opened for them, and a small snake demon smiled up at them. Hoshimi stepped down first, with help from the snake demon, but Koto was able to get down on her own. She took in a large gulp of air as she looked up at the building. The sun bounced off the shiny exterior and scattered colors everywhere, almost like the tall building was made out of diamonds. Now there was a thought…a building made of diamonds.

"You must be King Urameshi's guests." The snake demon was looking back and forth between them, probably waiting for them to introduce themselves.

"We are. I'm Koto Orikasa, and this is Hoshimi Nakano." Koto bowed her head, just a little, and wide green met hers when she looked up.

"Lady Orikasa, Lady Nakano, we are honored to serve you today." Ah, so their names preceded them. The snake demon bowed at the waist to both of them, and Koto was happy to note that the move made Hoshimi just as flustered as it made her.

"Today, we are just Hoshimi and Koto." The small snake demon smiled gently over at Hoshimi, who returned the look.

"Of course. Please, follow me." Koto looked over at Hoshimi and saw her own excitement reflected back at her. It was going to be a good day.

 **.xXx.**

Today had been the worst day. The absolute worst, and it was only halfway over.

"Stop making that noise, Yusuke, or someone will find us," Yomi said quietly. Next to him, Hokushin reluctantly nodded. Yusuke was able to resist the urge to start yelling at them, because he didn't want anyone to find them.

"We should get more than one break a day," he grumbled instead. They got to have a break around noon, but it didn't last long enough in his opinion. Just a little bit of time to eat and enjoy the silence before going back into that packed room. If one more person asked a question that even he recognized as stupid, he was going to start throwing things. If Koku could do it, he could too.

"That would only drag things out. Do you want to be here for another week?" Damn Yomi and his logic!

"No." The answer came out in a sigh, and he slumped back into his chair. Where was good news when he needed it?

"Hello, everyone." Kita's soft voice made his eyes pop back open, and he raised a brow at her. She looked just the same as always, suit and all, but her eyes widened just a little when they settled on Yomi. Looked like she wasn't expecting to see the goat.

"Hello, Kita. You sound well." Kita was super old, and she knew Kurama back when he was Yoko. So she probably knew Yomi too, right?

"I am." She must have felt his eyes on her, as well as Hokushin's, because she looked away from Yomi and smiled at them. "Koto and Hoshimi have been at the spa since this morning, and you can believe me when I say that they are getting the royal treatment. You've really outdone yourself, old friend."

"It's just a spa, Kita." Old friend…so that answered that question.

"That is good to hear. Thank you for telling us, Kita." Hokushin looked a little more relaxed, which lifted Yusuke's spirits just a little. Hokushin actually thanked him a couple of days ago, but Yusuke told him that the gratitude was misplaced. Koto was the one that got Hoshimi to go with her, not him.

"Yeah, thanks. If anyone looks at them wrong, kill 'em."

"Will do," Kita agreed just as Hokushin yelled, "Lord Urameshi!"

"They are both perfectly safe. No one in my kingdom would dare to harm them," Yomi said. Kita was already gone, and Hokushin relaxed back in his chair just a little bit.

"I know that," Yusuke huffed. Couldn't he have just a small bit of fun before all of his happiness was drained away? Was that really too much to ask?

 **.xXx.**

"My whole body feels like jelly." Since she was draped across the bench seat, she probably looked like jelly too.

"I don't think I've ever felt this relaxed. Have I thanked you yet? If not, thank you, Koto. Thank you." Hoshimi was spread out across the other bench seat, and they were wearing identical dopey smiles. They left a little earlier than planned, so that they could reach Enki's palace by dinner time, but Koto didn't feel like she missed out on anything. Every inch of her was pure relaxation. She'd even needed help walking back outside to the carriage, because her knees had stopped working at some point.

"Thank you for coming with me." Despite how amazing she felt, she was pretty sure that the experience wouldn't have been as fun on her own. Having someone to talk to while they were tended to really made the difference. Hoshimi had a habit of saying whatever was on her mind, and the dog demon kept her laughing for most of the day. She was pretty sure her sides would hurt if she was capable of feeling pain.

"Anytime. Really, anytime." They both laughed a little when their eyes met, but Hoshimi quickly sobered up. "So, how are we doing this, Kita?"

"Stealthily, obviously." The shadow appeared in the middle of the carriage, and she immediately dropped to the floor. Her legs were crossed in front of her, and she scooted back against the far wall of the carriage so that she could see both of them without moving her head.

"I need a little more than that. Neither one of us knows our way around the palace," Hoshimi said while pointing at Koto then herself.

"I'm going to cloak both of your energies, so that no one will be able to sense you. Azuma has already spoken to Enki, because we wanted to let him know that you were coming. Azuma has also already set up a room for the four of you to have dinner in; he'll bring Yusuke and Hokushin there when the time is right. I think that's everything."

"You're the best," Koto said and reached down to pat the shadow's knee.

"Best of the best," Hoshimi agreed.

"Once Yusuke and Hokushin get there, me and Azuma will leave. It's been too long since I've spent any real time with my brother." Kita's smile was small but genuine, and Koto relaxed back against her seat.

"How close are we?" Hoshimi asked after a few moments of silence.

"Just a few minutes away now." Koto forced herself into a sitting position, and she leaned her head against the wall as she looked out the small window. She could see a faint outline of the huge palace, and her eyes widened at the sight. It was like something out of a fairytale.

"That's a few minutes too many," Hoshimi sighed.

 **.xXx.**

"Yusuke." He stopped walking at the sound of his name, and he felt Hokushin stop next to him. The others were far ahead of them, but Yusuke wasn't in a rush. The day was, finally, over. He just wanted to eat, take a quick shower, and collapse into bed.

"What do you want, Azuma?" He liked the shadow demon; Azuma was quieter and a little calmer than his sister, but he had a dry sense of humor that made Yusuke laugh, and he was always on Yusuke's side. Right now though, Yusuke didn't want to talk. Eat, shower, sleep.

"I've prepared a dinner for you and Hokushin, separate from the others'. I thought you'd like the quiet after today's meeting." Hmm, all of the lords were going to want to rehash the day's events. It was what they did every night. Maybe a quiet dinner was just what he needed, and he liked Hokushin's company.

"Sounds good to me. Hokushin?" He looked over his shoulder, and it looked like the tall demon was thinking it over.

"I agree," he said at last. Yes! A quiet dinner, where no one was going to ask his opinion about anything. Well, Hokushin might, but that was still better than a whole table of demons yelling about politics.

"This way." Yusuke fell into step behind Azuma, and Hokushin moved to walk next to him. Both of them were dragging their feet just a little, so all of these meetings must be taking toll on Hokushin too. Azuma opened a door, but Yusuke couldn't see inside because the shadow demon was filling up the whole doorway. Right when Yusuke was going to ask him to move, he disappeared.

"SURPRISE!" He jumped at the loud yell, and Hokushin froze completely. There was a table inside, set for four, and two smiling demons were standing next to the table.

"Hoshimi!" Yusuke stepped inside the door and to the side, which was a good call because the dog demon darted past him and jumped at Hokushin. Yusuke only looked at them long enough to see Hokushin's wide smile before turning back around, and the first thing he saw was aqua. Bright aqua.

"Ha! We really got you, Urameshi!" Koto's eyes looked a little brighter than normal, and her hair was really shiny.

"Did not!" She was standing so close that he could smell her. The usual light flowery scent was buried under a stronger scent of…he didn't know what that was. Something that probably came from the spa.

"You jumped like two feet in the air," Koto pointed out.

"I just wasn't expecting to see you here, that's all. Why are you here anyway?" Koto looked down, so that he couldn't see the bright color of her eyes anymore, and he bent his knees as he tried to get her to look at him again.

"It was my idea, Lord Urameshi. I thought that since we were already so close, it would be okay for us to stop by for dinner." He straightened back up to his full height to look over at the side, and Hoshimi smiled over at him. She had one arm wrapped around Hokushin's back, and he had an arm draped across her shoulders. He hadn't seen Hokushin look this relaxed and happy since they got here.

"If we're having dinner together, call me Yusuke. Please." He couldn't handle any more titles tonight. He just couldn't.

"Thank you, Yusuke."

"C'mon, Urameshi, I'm starving." Koto grabbed his wrist and pulled him over to the table, and he grinned as she pushed him into a seat.

They were all seated within a minute, and the only sounds that could be heard for the next few minutes came from them piling their plates with food and digging in. The silence didn't last for long though. Hoshimi and Koto told them all about their spa day, and Yusuke was right about spas being not his thing. The two women looked happy enough about their day, but they described way more touching by strangers than he was comfortable with. And just how the hell was a mud bath relaxing? They seemed really relaxed and happy though, Hoshimi kept thanking him and Koto for the wonderful trip, and Yusuke just smiled and tried not to feel too awkward. He liked Hoshimi, sure, but he didn't know the dog demon very well. He'd also never seen her like…this. Talkative and a little hyper. She was usually a little calmer around him.

"How long are you staying?" Hokushin asked. Hoshimi had her head pressed against his shoulder, and she had both of her arms wrapped completely around his. If Hokushin had to get up and run, she'd still be attached to him. He'd never seen the two of them so touchy.

"Two nights and then we're going back to Tourin." Hoshimi yawned a little, and Koto sat up straighter in her chair.

"Well! It's late, and I think it's time that we all went to bed. Right, Urameshi? Let's go!" Yusuke barely had time to call out a goodnight before Koto literally dragged him out of the room, and it felt like his hand was losing circulation from the tight hold she had on his wrist. After about a minute of being dragged through the palace, he shook his arm and was able to get her to loosen up.

"What is with you?! Why'd we just run out like that?" he asked as Koto continued to pull him along. The hold on his wrist was looser now, so he stopped trying to pull away. Koto tipped her head back to grin up at him, and that was one scary looking smile.

"Because Hoshimi gave me the signal," Koto said and started giggling. Koto, giggling, without a fight happening in front of her? Scary.

"What signal? Why a signal?" He didn't remember Hoshimi doing anything out of the ordinary; she'd just yawned and then Koto ran them out of there like the place was on fire.

"The signal itself is unimportant. The why…well, Hoshimi and Hokushin haven't exactly spent a lot of time together over the past couple of years. There was that whole war business, then a lot of sleeping, and then you two had to come here. She's missed her mate."

"Oh." _Oh._ That definitely explained a lot. Poor Hokushin. Maybe he should send the two of them on a vacation when they were done with this whole noble business. Somewhere nice and secluded, maybe for a few weeks. He could handle ruling on his own for a few weeks, right?

"Why do you have your thinking face on?" Koto was looking up at him like he was some bomb about to explode, which was ridiculous because he didn't even have a thinking face.

"I don't have a thinking face." They were almost to his room now; where was Koto staying tonight?

"You totally have a thinking face. Your forehead gets all wrinkly because your brows are all drooped down, and your eyes go kinda glassy. When it gets really bad, your bottom lip pokes out." She poked him in the chin and then skipped away laughing before he could retaliate. Sneaky little cat!

"That's not my thinking face! It's just…my face," he finished lamely. Koto was leaning up against the door to his room, or the room assigned to him while he was staying at Enki's palace, and she smiled up at him.

"Uhuh, if you say so, Urameshi. Kita put my things in here for now. What room should I move to?" Well, he was on the floor just under the top floor (he forgot how many actual floors there were) because that was where the rulers and the seconds stayed. The nobles were spread throughout the palace, but he thought guests were supposed to stay on the second floor. That was a really long way down, and Koto would probably make him help her carry her bags. So he'd have to walk down the stairs carrying her luggage and then walk right back up the stairs to come back to his room. Too much work.

"You can just stay here. No one's going to care," he said and reached past her for the doorknob. She walked in ahead of him, and he noticed that there were only two suitcases on the bed. She could probably carry that by herself, but he already told her she could stay. It'd be rude to kick her out now.

"Such a gentleman. I'm taking the first shower." She grabbed some things out of her suitcase, one of which was a smaller bag, and then disappeared inside the bathroom. But he wanted the first shower. Then he wanted to sleep and pretend that he didn't have responsibilities.

"You look like a puppy who lost his favorite toy." He jumped and spun around at the sound of the laughing voice, and he narrowed his eyes at Kita.

"Be nice, sister." Azuma took form behind her, smiling, and he looked a little happier now that he was with his sister again. Maybe keeping them separated wasn't such a good idea.

"I am being nice. I have other comparisons that I could make." Wasn't there some kind of guardian rule that said they had to be nice to him?

"What are you two doing here?" he asked instead. They wouldn't be as much fun to have around if they were serious all the time.

"Just checking in," Kita said and looked around the room. She looked at the bed and noticed Koto's suitcases at just about the same time as the shower started, and she raised one slim brow at him. "Having a sleepover?"

"It's not like we've never shared a bed before," Yusuke said and crossed his arms. He knew the shadows knew that he and Koto slept in the same bed sometimes, because they knew everything. It'd be nosy if it wasn't their job.

"In Tourin. Are you sure it's wise to do the same thing here?" Azuma asked. Kita was just grinning at him, but her scary grin was nothing compared to Koto's.

"Why not?" The location shouldn't really matter, because it didn't mean anything serious.

"The palace is currently housing the majority of the nobles in Demon World. Some of them may get the wrong idea," Azuma explained slowly. First off, demons sniffing people was really rude. And kinda gross. It was also no one's business what he did in his private time, even though all he did in his private time was sleep.

"If Koto doesn't care, I don't care," he said and nodded. Azuma and Kita shared a look before they both shrugged, and Yusuke resisted the voice in the back of his head that told him to go bang his head against a wall.

"Don't be late tomorrow," Azuma said as he reached up to grab Kita's shoulder. Kita waved before they disappeared, and Yusuke was still lightly pulling on his hair when the bathroom door opened and Koto walked out. She stopped when she saw him standing in pretty much the same place as when she left, and she tightened her arms around the clothes and small bag in her arms.

"You're not going crazy, are ya? Because if you're getting ready to snap, I'm sleeping somewhere else." She was in a pair of her own loose pink shorts, but the white shirt she was wearing was one of his.

"I'm just tired," he said honestly. Her look softened a little at that, and she even smiled a tiny bit.

"Go wash up so we can get some sleep." He moved over to where his own bags were and barely remembered to grab a shirt to sleep in, and he kept his shower quick. Got clean and got out. When he walked back out into the bedroom, all of the lights were off except for the small lamp next to the bed. He tossed his clothes in the general direction of his bag, ignored Koto's huff over his housekeeping habits, and shuffled over to the bed.

"How did I become a king again?" he asked as he slipped into the bed. It was soft, but he missed his bed. The one that he made. Even though it apparently had bright pink sheets now. He clicked the lamp off and settled down, and he could see Koto's eyes shining across at him. Barely.

"Birthright. An insane amount of energy. Your charm. No, wait, cancel that last one." She squealed and then laughed as he tried to smother her with a pillow, and he felt her lightly headbutt his chest as they calmed down. Laughing felt good, especially after dealing with the nobles yelling all day. Politely yelling. He didn't even know that was a real thing until he took over Tourin.

"I can be charming." Koto was curled up against his side with her head pillowed on his chest, and she smelled more like herself now. Flowery and earthy. Like being in the gardens at Tourin.

"Sure you can. In your dreams." He reached up to ruffle her wet hair, and she twisted away from him. She didn't have anywhere to go though, so she slumped back down against him. His ruffling turned into petting, and he heard Koto sigh against him.

"Goodnight, Koto."

"Charming dreams, Urameshi."

 **.xXx.**

She tried not to laugh, she really did, but it was an amusing sight. So she let her head fall back as she laughed, and she heard Yusuke grumbling as he ran around the room like a crazy person. He overslept and then panicked when he realized that he overslept, and she'd spent the last ten minutes watching as he raced around. The Great Urameshi, youngest S-Class demon ever, a boogeyman for demons…lost his cool when he was running late. It was also funny to see him hopping around while trying to put on his pants. She probably should have looked away when he was getting dressed, which she did until she heard him yelp, and she'd opened her eyes to see him hopping around with only one pants leg on and his head stuck in his shirt.

"You're not helping!" he yelled at her. She was still in her pajamas and sitting on the messy bed, complete with bedhead and sheets tangled around her knees, but she wasn't the one who was supposed to be at a super important meeting in a few minutes.

"Control your breathing!" He directed a very rude gesture at her as he ran from the room, and she rolled her eyes as she waited. Five, four, three, two…The door flew open as he rushed back in, and she held up his shoes with a sigh. He'd tossed them onto the bed earlier and then forgot to put them on, so she had a feeling he'd be back for them.

"Thanks, Koto!" He took the shoes from her hand at the same time he leaned down to press a quick kiss against her lips, and her eyes widened as he raced back out of the room. She lifted her hands to her lips and then pinched her cheek to make sure that she was awake, and he…Yusuke kissed her! And then immediately ran out of the room.

"URAMESHI!"

 **.xXx.**

Yusuke paused outside of the meeting room so that he could slip his shoes on, and he froze with his second shoe halfway on. Did he…? No, he did not do that. Right? He just grabbed his shoes from Koto and then took off running. He did not kiss her while grabbing his shoes, because that was just crazy. Why would he do that? He kissed Koto! And then immediately ran out of the room. She was going to kill him. He was going to have to go into hiding or have someone make a chocolate cake the size of a house…No, she'd just kill him and then eat the cake. He was gonna have to make a run for it.

"Yusuke! Get your lazy ass in here!" Koku yelled. He jumped up and pushed his foot into his shoe, and he tried to smile as he joined the other rulers. They always met before the nobles joined them, and it looked like he was the last to arrive. Great. He was going to have to deal with nobles while coming up with an escape plan. He was doomed.

 **.xXx.**

"And tonight Hokushin is going to take me to this very nice restaurant not too far away. He says the baby toes are to die for."

"Mhmm."

"Koto!" She jumped at the louder sound of Hoshimi's voice and then blushed when she realized that she hadn't heard a single word the dog demon said. A sigh slipped out of her as she looked down at her full breakfast plate, because she hadn't taken a single bite yet. The dining area of the palace was lovely, the food smelled delicious, but her mind felt like it was a million miles away.

"I'm sorry, Hoshimi. Were we talking about food?" Hoshimi had knocked on Yusuke's door just as Koto was finishing with making the bed, and she'd happily accepted the woman's offer of getting breakfast together.

"We were. Now we're talking about you. Is everything okay?" Her first instinct was to wave her off, but she held back. Hoshimi was her boss, but she also thought of the woman as a friend. She could use a friend right now.

"Everything's fine. It's just…Urameshikissedme." She whispered it quickly, and Hoshimi's eyes narrowed before blowing wide.

"That's wonderful! You two look so adorable together, and—"

"No! Not wonderful! We're just friends! And he did it while he was in a rush this morning, and there were shoes, and I don't think he even realized what he did!" She was talking so fast that she was starting to hyperventilate, and Hoshimi took her hands and made her focus on her breathing.

Once she was taking regular breaths again, Hoshimi coaxed the whole story out of her. The _whole_ story. Koto talked about the Dark Tournament, running into Yusuke again at the market before Koenma and Botan's wedding, Christmas, and then everything that happened after the war. She didn't plan on talking about how her and Yusuke have been bonding since the end of the war, but it felt good to finally tell someone everything that was going on. Everything up to this morning, when Yusuke kissed her. It was so quick that she barely felt anything before he was running out of the room, and she was very sure that he didn't mean to do it. It was an accident. It had to be.

"Koto, sweetie, there's no such thing as an accidental kiss," Hoshimi said and lightly patted her arm.

"I like what we have though. It's…comforting," she said and pulled her arms closer to her body.

"What's comforting?"

"Spending time with him. He's an idiot, but he makes me laugh. He's a bit of a slob, but he can be really thoughtful sometimes. Like with the spa passes or making my balcony chair super cushiony. He doesn't make fun of me when I'm scared to sleep alone, and he actually likes having his hair played with. Makes the most ridiculous noises. It's hard to believe that he's saved the world when I see him first thing in the morning, because his hair is all over the place and he'll have a huge dopey smile on his face. And he always makes sure that I eat something and…" Koto trailed off as her eyes went wide, because the truth hit her harder than a sucker punch from a rock demon. "Oh no! I'm attracted to Yusuke! I like him!"

Hoshimi was laughing quietly already, but she started full out laughing as a horrified expression came over Koto's face. Koto knew it was a horrified expression too, because she could not believe this! When did she start liking that idiot? How could she let this happen? How could Yusuke let this happen?

"Took you long enough," Hoshimi said when she could speak again. Koto had her arms crossed over the table and was hiding her face behind them, and she groaned in response. Worst day ever.

 **.xXx.**

Yusuke poked his head into his room and held his breath as he looked around. He spent his lunch hour in hiding, but the meetings were over now. Food was going to be delivered to his room because he didn't want to eat with everyone else, and he made sure to order enough for two. Just in case Koto didn't have plans, or maybe as a way to keep her from killing him. He wouldn't know until he saw what kind of mood she was in. He didn't see her anywhere, so he straightened up and took a few steps into the room. Empty. Where was she?

"Looking for something?" He nearly jumped ten feet in the air and quickly spun around, and Koto was standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. Her face was blank, and that couldn't mean anything good. Blank was bad. Very bad.

"Where were you?" Her shoulder knocked into his arm as she walked into the room, and he rocked with the movement so that he could turn to watch her walk over to her suitcases. She wasn't gonna leave, was she?

"Helping Hoshimi get ready for her date with Hokushin." No, wait, she was putting some stuff into her suitcase from her pockets. Looked like makeup.

"Oh, okay." He should not feel this relieved about her staying. He was still thinking about running away himself.

"Why? Did you think I left because you kissed me this morning?" His entire body froze as she glared at him, and that was anger. Possibly better than blank.

"I, uh…I didn't mean to…What I'm trying to say is…I'm…I'm…" The next word was supposed to be _sorry_ , he was supposed to apologize now and beg for his life, but he wasn't sorry. He didn't want to apologize.

"You're what?! Why'd ya do it, Urameshi?! We had a good thing going! We were friends, we were comfortable with each other, and now this! Why'd ya have to go and complicate everything?!" Koto stalked closer to him with every yelled question until she was standing right in front of him, up on her toes with her finger pointed right in his face, and he blinked as he looked down at her. All of the yelling had made her cheeks flush pink, and he looked down as she swiped her tongue across her bottom lip.

"Things are complicated?" That probably wasn't what he should have asked, but that was what his mind got stuck on. If it meant nothing, then there was nothing complicated about the situation. But if it was complicated…it meant something.

"Aren't they?" She smelled like the gardens behind Tourin's palace, but she smelled like him too. Like the two of them mixed together. He watched his hand come up and smooth down some of her wild hair, looked like she'd been running her fingers through it, and her eyes widened.

"Not complicated," he said and leaned down. He felt her fists press against his chest as his lips covered hers, and she sighed before unclenching her fingers and moving them into his hair. Her lips were soft and tasted sweet, a little like chocolate actually, and she made a quiet sound as his tongue slipped past her lips to taste her a little more. Warm skin was soft under his hands as he gripped her waist, and she was such a tiny little thing. Small fangs nipped his lips as she raised up on her toes, and he pulled her closer as her tongue flicked against his lips.

"Oh, this is very complicated," she whispered as they pulled back.

"Can't we talk later?" He realized his voice was just a little whiny, but they could talk about the important stuff later. Right now he just wanted to kiss her a little more.

"You're not getting lucky tonight. I'm not that kind of girl." Her fingers were gripping his hair nearly hard enough to hurt, and he pulled her so close that she had to brace her toes against the top of his shoes.

"No pressure. I wouldn't ask for something like that, not now, but I don't want you to leave." For just a second, when she was at her suitcase, he thought she was going to leave. Not just the room, but him. "Don't leave me."

"Shut up and kiss me, Urameshi."

* * *

 **Ending Note:** I said that it would be interesting, didn't I? I hope it lived up to expectations!

 **Guest:** Writing Yusuke and Koto's earlier interactions were so much fun; I loved exploring a different side of their characters that other people don't get to see, and I did my best to keep them in character while still making it fluffy. I love my fluff. I'm so glad that you've enjoyed the story, and I'll try and update again soon! Thank you for the review!

 **shirohara:** Don't they make a cute couple? It's weird since I considered them a crack pairing in LWIYF, but they just seem to click together for me. Also, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's been planned for a while. It just took me a little while to get here. Thank you for the review!


	10. Hell If I Know Why

**Author's Note:** I know it's been a year since I've updated this, and I am so sorry. I got distracted by my Hiei/OC story, then I got sick, and then I kept getting more and more story ideas. That doesn't mean I don't love this story though, because I do. Which is why I've decided to finish it before working on any of my other stories. Now, enough of my rambling. Enjoy the chapter!

 **Post Date:** 07 August 2017

 **Word Count:** 5800

* * *

 **Chapter Ten  
** **Hell If I Know Why**

"Okay, no more kissing." Koto pulled away from Yusuke and quickly sat up on the bed, and it took her eyes a moment to focus on the room around her. Her breathing was shallow, and she felt twitchy all over. Like she was going to explode out of her skin at any moment.

"Why are we stopping?" She felt a rough hand slide from her wrist up to the bend of her elbow, and she told herself that she was not going to fall for whatever look Yusuke was more than likely giving her before she looked over her shoulder.

" _Dammit,"_ was her first thought. Her second thought was a lot less pure. Yusuke was still lying flat on his back and looking up at her with curious eyes, and Koto lightly squeezed her thighs together. His once-gelled hair was a mess from where she'd buried her fingers in it and pulled, his lips were a little swollen from where she'd nipped him a few times with her fangs, and the bottom of his tee shirt was pulled up just enough to show a small strip of skin. What little bit of resolve that she did have was slowly slipping away.

"C'mere," Yusuke said quietly and gently pulled on her arm. So gently that she could have easily resisted, which meant that he wasn't pushing her or pressuring her, and she let herself fall against him. Her forearms were braced against his chest, his ribcage was pressed along her stomach, and she moved one leg to rest between his. She propped her chin on his chest as he lifted his head to meet her eyes, and she tried to ignore the way her fingers shook as she reached forward to touch his face.

"I need you." Fingertips traced along his jawline before sweeping across his cheek. "To tell me." Lightly touched against his nose and moved to the other side of his face. "That this isn't a bad idea." Her index finger stopped at the corner of his lips, but Yusuke kept his eyes on hers.

"This isn't a bad idea." While keeping eye contact, he turned just enough to press a kiss against her fingertip.

Koto let out a quiet moan at the gentle pressure and raised herself up on her forearms. One of Yusuke's hands cupped the back of her neck and pulled her farther up his body, and she sighed as their lips connected again. Her lips were already bruised and a little swollen, but the kiss was a sweet ache as Yusuke held her still and moved his lips against hers. His hand moved to hold the side of her neck as his thumb pressed her chin, and her hands pressed flat against his chest as she seemed to melt against him. Their every movement was perfectly in sync. When he moved, she moved. She felt his other hand press against the center of her back as he slowly kissed at her bottom lip. He was teasing her! Koto's nails scratched against his chest as she tried to press closer, but Yusuke kept the kiss light.

" _We'll see who's teasing who!"_ Koto thought as Yusuke pressed another kiss against her lips.

She parted her lips, just a little. Just enough for Yusuke to capture her bottom lip between his. On the next kiss, she parted her lips just a little more and made a quiet sound in her throat as he lingered. One more nearly chaste kiss…after that, she parted her lips enough to let the tip of her tongue touch against his top lip. She could _feel_ it when the simple action caused him to shake, and his hands held onto her a little tighter as he finally moved to deepen the kiss. Koto didn't fight the hold on her jaw as Yusuke tasted her. She didn't even try to fight for dominance in the kiss. Letting Yusuke set a slow pace as his tongue dipped inside of her mouth to carefully explore her sent a rush of heat through her, and her body shifted as his tongue slid against hers.

The kiss was lazy and made her feel warm all over, and she couldn't help making little moans every time their lips made quiet smacking sounds. She didn't actually want to stop the sounds. When she made quiet little sighs, Yusuke pressed his rough hands a little harder against her skin like he couldn't get her close enough. When her tongue lightly flicked against his, he made a low growling sound that she could feel against her chest and her lips. Her face was filled with heat and her lips were so sensitive, but she never wanted to stop.

Unfortunately, they had to stop eventually. Koto felt a little dazed as they finally parted, and she could still taste Yusuke when she ran her tongue over her bottom lip. A part of her wanted to say to hell with her own personal morals and do what her body was begging for, but she knew she wasn't ready for that yet. Yusuke must not have been either, because he moved his hands so that he was cupping the sides of her face and then leaned up to just quickly peck her kiss swollen lips.

"We should sleep." Yusuke's voice was rough as he looked up at her, and something in Koto's stomach flipped at the tone. Before she could analyze that reaction too closely, she quickly sat up on her knees next to Yusuke's body.

"Sleep sounds good. I'll go change in the bathroom. You change in here," she said and darted off the bed. She grabbed her pajamas and ducked into the bathroom, and she placed the clothes on the sink counter so that she could get a good look at her reflection.

" _I look like I've been up to no good."_

Her hair was even messier than usual, her cheeks were flushed a dark pink, and her lips were a little darker than usual and puffy. Yet, despite that, she couldn't even get mad at Yusuke for making her look like this. Because what she did to look like this? That felt amazing, and all they did was kiss! If just kissing was enough to make her look like this, what would it be like if they went farther? Not that she was planning on doing anything like that anytime soon, but she couldn't help but to wonder. She'd expected Yusuke to be a little rough, but he'd been so _gentle_. Like they had all the time in the world to just lay around and make out. Would he be like that if they went farther? Go slow, be a tease, and draw it out?

Koto groaned at the direction her thoughts had taken and quickly stripped out of her clothes. She rinsed off and then pulled on her pajamas, which were a pair of hot pink shorts and one of Yusuke's white tee shirts. The fabric smelled like both of them, and she held the collar up to her nose for a moment. This, them being together, might be a bad idea but she didn't care at the moment. She wasn't sure if she'd ever felt this…happy, before. She was smiling as she walked back into the bedroom, and she paused at the foot of the bed.

"Are you trying to kill me?" she asked. Yusuke, who was mostly lying down with just his head propped up on a couple of pillows, raised a brow at her.

"What are you talking about?" He looked genuinely confused too, which meant that he had no idea.

"You can't just lay around shirtless like that!" She pointed at his bare torso as she yelled, and Yusuke looked down at himself. The blanket and sheets were kicked down to just cover his feet, and he was only wearing a pair of dark blue shorts. That was it. He normally slept in a shirt when they shared a bed, but there wasn't a single shirt in sight.

"Are you embarrassed?" Yusuke asked in a teasing tone. Koto thought about shouting out a, _no!_ That was probably what he was expecting though, so she bit the response back. Instead, she let the anger fade from her face and let her eyes move across his body. From the width of his shoulders, over his chest, and along each ridge of muscle showing in his abdomen.

"More like tempted," she answered and turned so that she could walk to the side of the bed. She'd seen Yusuke's eyes widen in surprise, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling in victory. She placed a knee on the bed so that she could lay down, but Yusuke had rocked onto his side and reached over to grab her hips.

"Tempted, huh?" He was lying on his back again, and she was sprawled out over his torso. His bare torso. There was so much warm skin under her, and her eyes kept getting caught on the way that the muscles under his skin moved as he breathed.

"Very tempted," she whispered. She heard Yusuke chuckle quietly before he hooked a finger under her chin, and her eyes were pulled away from his abs as he tilted her face up. The goodnight kiss was soft and thorough, and Koto was breathing out of rhythm again when she fell down against his chest.

"Night, Koto," Yusuke said after switching off the lamp. Koto curled up next to him with her head on his chest as an arm wound around her shoulders, and she made a sound close to a purr as strong fingers gently rubbed her ear.

"Goodnight, Yusuke."

 **.xXx.**

"Wake up!" Yusuke's eyes popped open at the loud yell, and he groaned as bright light hit his eyes. It took a moment for him to finish waking up and get his eyes focused, and the first thing he saw was Koto glaring down at him. That couldn't be a good sign.

"Good morning?" he tried. Aqua eyes narrowed down at him, and he felt a slim finger poking against the center of his chest.

"We skipped dinner! We were so busy with each other, that we missed dinner!" Koto yelled and then huffed quietly. Yusuke realized that he was lying flat on his back, and Koto was kneeling on the bed next to him. She crossed her arms as she leveled another look at him, and Yusuke couldn't tell if he wanted to run away or pull her down against him. "So, you're going to take me to get breakfast. If we leave in the next couple of minutes, you won't even be late for your meetings. So get moving!"

"What? No good morning kiss?" He grinned as her face flushed pink, but she kept her arms tightly crossed and stayed kneeling next to him.

"Not until you've brushed your teeth," she grumbled. That made sense. Yusuke pressed his palms against the mattress and pushed himself up into a sitting position, and he noticed the way that Koto watched him. Looked like sleeping shirtless wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Koto didn't move as Yusuke got off the bed, but he could feel her eyes on him as he grabbed some clothes out of a bag and moved into the bathroom. He left the door cracked, just in case she wanted to talk, and he heard her start moving once he was in the bathroom. Probably making the bed. He quickly stripped out of his clothes and stepped into the shower, but he rushed through it because he didn't want to hear Koto yelling at him. He wouldn't mind talking to her though, especially after what happened last night.

" _I made out with Koto last night."_

"Yo! Urameshi!" Yusuke froze just as he finished pulling his pants up, and he looked over his shoulder at the cracked open bathroom door. There was no way that Koto could see inside, and he took a second to wonder if she'd just heard his thoughts.

"What?!" he yelled back. He tugged his shirt on over his head and decided to just leave his hair the way it was. He didn't have time to gel it down, not if Koto was serious about going to get breakfast.

"Was last night just a one-time thing?!" Yusuke pushed the bathroom door open and stepped out into the bedroom, and large aqua eyes immediately met his. Koto was sitting at the foot of the perfectly made bed with her legs crossed under her, and he realized that she was already dressed for the day. Pale yellow shorts and a light blue tee shirt that he was sure was his, but the side of it was tied into a small knot over her hip so that it didn't hang down to her thighs. "Quit checkin' me out and answer!"

"No!" Koto blinked as his eyes met hers, and she crossed her arms under her chest.

"No to the stopping of checking me out or no to last night being a one-time thing?" Yusuke reached up to push his hair off his forehead and sighed, because it was still way too early for him to examine his inner emotions. Or whatever. Couldn't they talk about this over lunch or something?

"Both?" Koto's eyes narrowed, and Yusuke knew that she was about to start yelling again because she took in a deep breath. "Both! Both, okay? I like looking at you, because _I like you_. Hell if I know why." He huffed as he finished and crossed his arms as he looked away, until he heard…giggling?

"You're blushing," Koto pointed out between quiet laughs. His face did feel a little overheated, but it was just because all of this talking was pissing him off. Weren't they supposed to go get food before he had to deal with the nobles all day?

"What about you, huh? Was last night a one-time thing for you?" he asked and turned to look at her again. Koto abruptly stopped laughing, and he watched the way that one small fang dented her bottom lip. Her fingers pulled at the bottom of her shorts, and she looked a little nervous. He could tell because she was fidgeting and avoiding his eyes.

"I don't want it to be a one-time thing, because I like you too." Koto looked directly into his eyes as she admitted that last part, and her lips tilted up into a smile. "Hell if I know why."

"It's 'cause I'm charming," he said and grinned as he walked over to the bed. What little bit of anger he had felt was gone now, and he felt…it was hard to describe. It was kind of like how he felt when Koto let him put his head in her lap so she could run her fingers through his hair. Happy? Content? Something like that.

"Uh-huh, sure, you just keep thinkin' that. I'm just with you because you've got great abs," Koto teased as he stopped in front of her. She was still grinning up at him with a manic little glint in her eyes when he bent down and twisted, and he heard her squeal as she was lifted up onto his shoulder. Since he'd turned around before picking her up, her legs were against his back and her face was pressed against his chest. "Put me down!"

"Just giving you a better view of my hot bod," he said as he started walking out of the room. Koto was still growling quietly under her breath, but he did feel one hand lightly pat his stomach before she gripped the bottom of his shirt with both fists.

"You're ridiculous, you know that, right?" she asked as he started down the stairs. He had one arm braced across her back so that she wouldn't move around as he took the stairs two at a time. Sometimes three or four at a time.

"I'm being helpful." Since it was still pretty early, the staircase was empty and there weren't many people in the dining room on the first floor. There were a few people seated in the large room, but Yusuke ignored the confused and curious looks as he picked a table for them to sit at.

"Next time you want to be helpful, carry me the other way so I can check out your—aah!" Koto let out a high-pitched scream as he flipped her through the air, and she landed perfectly in the chair that he'd pulled out for her. Aqua eyes glared up at him, and Yusuke smiled as he tried to pat down some of her ruffled hair.

"What can we get for you this morning, Lord Urameshi?" Koto stopped slapping at his arm as they both turned to look at the rabbit demon standing next to their table, and the small demon shifted nervously on her feet as they both just continued to stare at her.

"We'll each have a plate of whatever is available," Koto decided. The tiny rabbit bowed and hurried off, and Yusuke looked down at Koto with a raised brow. When she noticed the look, she rolled her eyes and pointed at the other side of the small table with her thumb. "Sit down and stop disturbing the rest of the room."

"I'm not disturbing anyone," Yusuke mumbled but moved around the table anyway to sit down. The table was small, circular, and Yusuke stretched his legs out in front of him after sitting down. His feet knocked into Koto's, and the table shook as she jumped in her chair.

"We are not playing footsie!" Koto hissed at him. He smiled and wiggled his foot around until his right shoe slipped off, and he propped his elbows on the table and watched Koto's face as he stretched his leg out again. His toes lightly poked above her ankle, and her brows pulled down as her cheeks puffed out. Definitely getting ready to yell at him.

"How long are you staying?" he asked before she could start yelling. Her expression went blank as her eyes widened, and he nudged her ankle with his foot when she stayed quiet. It wasn't like her to stay quiet, and it was starting to freak him out a little.

"Me and Hoshimi are leaving after breakfast. We have to get back to the healing center," she said quietly. After breakfast? She was leaving after this?

"Can't you—" He stopped before he could finish asking the question, because he knew it was an unfair question to ask. Koto decided to become a healer, and Yusuke knew that she was taking the new responsibility seriously. She had to be for Hoshimi to already feel so close to her. Hoshimi wouldn't show that kind of closeness for a slacker. Yusuke knew that much about the dog demon.

"Can't I what?" Koto snapped. Yusuke couldn't ask her to stay, because it wasn't a fair thing to ask.

"Nothing. I'll see you when the meetings are over, right? Back in Tourin?" Her face softened, and the small smile on her lips was nothing like her usual manic grins. It was a nice smile though. A really nice smile.

"Yeah, Urameshi. You'll see me back at home." _Home_. Hearing Koto call Tourin, call the palace, home hit him low in the stomach. It was almost like getting the wind knocked out of him, but with more heat. Ugh, it was way too early for him to be thinking mushy shit like this.

"Sorry for the wait, Lord Urameshi. Lady Orikasa." The rabbit demon from early placed plates of food in front of each of them and then quickly returned with drinks, and she bowed again before quickly scurrying away.

"Was it something I said?" Yusuke asked as he watched the little demon practically run away from their table.

"I think it was your ugly mug," Koto answered and immediately dug into her food. When Yusuke glared across the table at her, she just grinned with her puffed out cheeks.

"Thought you were only with me for my looks?" he asked as he shifted in his seat. Koto tilted her head to the side as she swallowed her food, and the smile on her face was alarming. Very alarming. It was the same look she had when she was calling out injuries while two people were fighting.

"And your charming personality. Now eat before your breakfast gets cold," she said and pointed at his plate.

He started to eat his own breakfast, but he was eating on auto-pilot and a little absent-mindedly as he watched Koto's face. He couldn't just let her get away with all those teasing comments. He popped a bite of…something into his mouth as he moved his foot up the back of Koto's calf, from her ankle to the bend of her knee. Her face flushed red, and she took a long drink before turning back to her food. The look in her eyes was determined though, but Yusuke didn't figure out why for a few minutes.

Toes gently traced over the top of his foot, so Koto must have slipped one of her shoes off too. Her foot slid smoothly against his until she could hook her foot around his ankle, and Yusuke couldn't believe that something so small as _playing footsie_ could be a turn-on. He wasn't even into feet! He'd just been trying to make Koto flustered, which he'd succeeded at, but it looked like it was backfiring on him now.

"Lord Urameshi?" Yusuke and Koto were locked in a staring match, while still playing footsie under the table, when someone next to the table spoke. Koto's foot twitched against his as she smiled, it looked like a victory smile, and Yusuke had to force himself not to growl as he broke their staring match and looked to his left.

"Yeah?" A girl with large green eyes was staring down at him, and she was standing so that her body was angled towards him. Which meant that whoever-she-was couldn't see Koto doing a little victory dance in her chair for winning the staring contest.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Lord Urameshi, I'm Tora Akahoshi." The name didn't mean anything to Yusuke, and he must have looked confused because Koto cleared her throat. The girl, Tora, startled at the quiet sound and looked over her shoulder at Koto.

"Matsuo Akahoshi's daughter? Leader of the Tiger Clan?" Koto cut her eyes over at him for a moment before smiling pleasantly up at the girl, Tora, and the name finally clicked. Matsuo was one of the nobles that didn't complain about all of the new rules, so he was okay in Yusuke's book.

"Sorry, Lady Orikasa, I didn't recognize you," the girl said and bowed her head. Koto did the same, and seeing Koto act so formal was kinda freaky. He didn't like it. He actually preferred the Koto that yelled and demanded to see blood.

"Did you need something?" Yusuke asked the girl. Now that he was actually paying attention, she did look a little familiar. Long black hair (too straight), large green eyes (too dark), fluffy ears on top of her head (too round), and a striped tiger tail (too sleek).

"I just wanted to say that I think all of your ideas are really amazing. I think the changes will be really good for all of Demon World." She interrupted his breakfast to tell him that?

"Thanks." He thought that would be the end of it, but she just kept talking. She brought up every single point that had already been brought up at the meetings and then started explaining why she agreed with everything he had said, and Yusuke felt a muscle in his jaw twitch as she just...kept…talking. He knew that as a king or whatever that he was supposed to be polite to the nobles, but it was early in the morning and this was his last moment with Koto before she left to go back to Tourin. He did not want to spend this moment listening to some girl tell him things he already knew. Now he just had to make her stop, politely. "Excuse me?"

"—such a good counter and…yes?" She blinked as she suddenly stopped talking, and Yusuke tried not to glare up at her.

"Thank you for your support, but I'm tryin' to have breakfast with my girlfriend. Can we pick this up some other time?" The tiger demon's mouth dropped open as she turned to look at Koto, and Koto just looked confused as the other girl sputtered.

"But-but, she's disgraced! Her family doesn't lead the Cat Demon Tribes anymore, and—" She stopped talking abruptly as Yusuke's fist slammed against the table, and he felt a little bad about making all of the dishes rattle. Nothing broke though.

"Did you really just call my girlfriend a disgrace?" Yeah, he was pissed. He felt Koto's foot pulling away from him, and she seemed to shrink in on herself a little. It was completely out of character for her, and the little tiger demon looked between the two of them with a panicked expression.

"I'm so sorry, Lord Urameshi! Lady Orikasa! I'll just…I'll go." She bowed at the waist, to both of them, and then took off towards the other side of the room. Yusuke glared at her back until she was sitting at a table on the other side of the room, with a bunch of other female demons around her age, and he made a quiet snorting sound before looking over at Koto. Then his expression softened out of its glare, because she looked a little shaky.

"You okay?" Koto was loud. She yelled and wasn't afraid to speak her mind, so he didn't understand why she looked so small all of a sudden.

"They still have to call me a lady, but Tora's right. The Orikasa family is disgraced. The eldest has a child and no mate, me the vulgar announcer, a dead father…It sucks, but she wasn't wrong." Yusuke could feel his brows drawing down as fresh anger started to cloud his mind, but he calmed somewhat as Koto laughed quietly and then continued. "I'm okay with being a disgrace. Kele's happy as a teacher, being a vulgar announcer is how I met you, and Father died when Mother did and just held on long enough for us to grow up some. Those noble bitches can kiss my disgraced ass."

Yusuke laughed as Koto did, because _that_ sounded more like the bloodthirsty cat that he knew. Their laughter quickly died down so they could finish eating breakfast, and Yusuke grumbled around his food as he fought to get his shoe back on. He saw Koto wiggling in her seat as she slipped her shoe back on too, and they grinned at each other across the table as they both sat up straight again. They were nearly done with their breakfast when Koto's spine suddenly went rigid, and Yusuke raised a brow at her as her eyes widened.

"Something wrong?" he asked around the food in his mouth. Koto didn't even scold him for talking with his mouth full, and her ear twitched. Her head tilted to the side, in the direction that the little tiger demon had walked off in. He could hear laughter coming from the other side of the room, but he didn't want to look away from Koto to see if it was who he thought it was.

"They don't think I'm good enough to date a king," Koto huffed and rolled her eyes. "It's too bad they don't know how much of a slob you are."

"I'm not a slob. You're a neat freak," he pointed out.

"Ugh, they'll probably start following you around now that they know you're dating. Try to get you to trade up, or whatever." Koto leaned back in her chair and pushed her plate away from her, and Yusuke stopped eating as he looked at her.

"They're all idiots if they think they're better than you." Koto crossed her arms and looked away from him, but he could see the slight blush on her cheeks. He wanted to say more, wanted to try and explain that he was serious about the two of them, but it was getting later. He couldn't be late for another meeting.

"Come on, Urameshi. I need to go get my stuff and find Hoshimi, and you have a meeting to get to," Koto said and stood up. He blinked up at her before slowly getting to his feet, and Koto took off walking as soon as he was standing.

Koto power walked out of the dining room and started up the stairs, because the meetings were held on the third floor, and Yusuke had to nearly jog to keep up with her even though she was a foot shorter than him. He could hear her muttering angrily under her breath as they hurried up the stairs, but he couldn't hear everything she was saying. He just kept picking out certain words. Like _bimbos_ , _nobles_ , and _bad idea_. That last one caused him to stop just as they reached the third floor, and he reached out to grab Koto's wrist before she could keep stomping down the hallway.

"What are you—" He didn't let her finish as he pulled her towards him, and he expected her to hit him or maybe even try to yell at him as his lips pressed hard against hers.

Instead, one of her hands gripped the front of his shirt and pulled him down to her while her other hand fisted in the back of his hair. The hold wasn't tight enough to hurt, but it was just strong enough for her to hold him against her as his lips slanted against hers. He reached down to grab her hips as he walked her backwards until she hit a wall, and he used the hold to lift her up. Legs locked around his waist as Koto's lips parted under his, and he reached down to hold onto her thighs as he pressed her against the wall. Her nails dug down into the back of his neck as his tongue moved against hers, and he didn't pull back until his chest was burning from the lack of oxygen.

"Yusuke." His name was a quiet whisper as he tightened his grip on her thighs and pulled her farther up his body, and he reached up with one hand to cup the side of her neck and pressed his thumb under her chin to tilt her head to the side.

His lips skimmed across her cheek until he traced under the curve of her jaw with his tongue, and he felt the hand in his hair tighten as her hips pushed up against him. He placed small kisses down the length of her neck and flicked his tongue out to taste the salt of her skin. Koto was making high-pitched whines by the time he reached the bottom of her neck, and he moved his hand down to push the collar of her tee shirt aside. His teeth lightly closed over the skin of her collarbone as he sucked, and Koto's hips bucked as she started clawing at his arm and pulling on his hair. He bit down a little harder before letting her pull him away, and her lips were already opened for him when he kissed her again.

"Lord Urameshi!" Yusuke groaned as he pulled back, and Koto's eyes were hazy and unfocused as she looked at him.

"What, Hokushin?" he asked without looking away from Koto's face. Her cheeks were flushed red, her lips were dark pink and swollen, and her chest pushed against his with every inhale. Her thighs tightened rhythmically around his waist in time with her quick breathing, and he was sure that he was gripping her thigh tight enough to bruise.

"We're going to be late." Hokushin was standing at the far end of the hallway, Yusuke could see him out of the corner of his eye, and he knew that he needed to leave.

"Be right there!" he called out. Hokushin walked away a moment later, and Yusuke moved his hand back up to cup the side of Koto's neck. She still looked a little dazed as his thumb pressed against her bottom lip, and she moaned quietly as her hips rolled and her lips parted just a little.

"Come home soon, okay?" She sounded breathless, and Yusuke clenched his jaw for a moment to stop himself from leaning forward to kiss her again.

"Will you sleep in my bed tonight?" It was going to suck with her gone, but it might be a little easier if he knew that she was in his bed. In his bed. In their home. Her eyes focused a little more as her nails lightly scratched against his scalp, more soothing and less urgent than before, and she leaned forward to rub her nose against his.

"Yeah, Yusuke, I'll sleep in your bed tonight."

He leaned forward a little more to kiss her bottom lip, then her top lip, and she was laughing quietly as he pressed kisses against her cheeks and forehead. She pushed at his shoulders after a few moments, and he reluctantly took a step back. He let her go so that she could stand on her own, and he watched her eyes darken as she licked her bottom lip and looked up at him. If he stayed in the hallway for too much longer, he'd say to hell with the meeting and lock them in a room somewhere. Koto must have been thinking something along the same lines, because she bit down on her bottom lip and tightly crossed her arms. The look she was giving him was pointed, and he stuck his hands into his pockets as he forced himself to take an even breath.

"I'm goin'. See you at home."

Yusuke turned on his heel and walked off down the hallway, and he paused as he reached the end of the hallway to look over his shoulder. Koto was standing in the same place, looking at him, and she smiled as she waved to him. It was a small gesture, her hand just moved back and forth a couple of times before falling back to her side, and he didn't want to leave her. He raised his own hand to give a quick wave and then turned back around. He didn't want to walk away, but this was important. The meetings were important. And as soon as the meetings were over? He could go home.

* * *

 **Ending Note:** I hope this chapter made up for the long wait a little bit! There's only a few chapters left after this, one or two, so this story will be complete pretty soon. If there's anything that you'd like to see, now is the time to request it!

The girl mentioned, Tora, is actually the same age as Yusuke and Koto. So, around twenty-two. And all of those descriptions in parentheses are because Yusuke is comparing her to Koto, and he obviously prefers the way Koto looks. Just thought I'd clear that up a little.

 **shirohara:** I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! I had a fangirl moment myself. lol. Thank you for the review!

 **AstroLibra:** I love the pairing too! Even though it is a little unusual. Thank you for the review!

 **Guest:** I didn't mean to leave readers hanging! I did leave it on a bad cliffhanger too, huh? I hope this chapter made up for that, and I am definitely not abandoning this story! Thank you for the review!

 **SakiHanajima1:** THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF THE REVIEWS! Haha, I was waiting for their first kiss too, which sounds crazy since I'm the author but we both know that The Story is in charge and not me. I really hope you liked this chapter, and thank you again for all of the amazing reviews!


	11. Home

**Author's Note:** Parts of this chapter were difficult to write, but I'm pretty happy with the overall result. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and thank you so much to everyone reading!

 **Post Date:** 19 August 2017

 **Word Count:** 7275

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven  
** **Home**

"Details, woman! Details!" Hoshimi said and leaned forward on her bench seat.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Koto said and crossed her arms as she looked out the window of the carriage. The moving landscape wasn't that interesting, it kinda made her feel a little dizzy actually, but it was better than looking at the teasing smile on Hoshimi's face.

"Koto, sweetie, I've been around for a while and I know all of the signs. Your hair is still messy, your lips are puffy, and you've got that look in your eyes." Koto looked at Hoshimi from the corner of her eye and lightly bit down on the corner of her lip. Yep, still a little sensitive to touch.

"What look?" she asked without turning her head.

"The look that says you've been thoroughly ravaged."

"Hoshimi!" The dog demon started laughing after Koto's loud yell, but that wasn't the only source of laughter in the carriage. Kita appeared sitting on the floor of the carriage, with her head thrown back and loud laughter causing her entire body to shake. Koto huffed and looked out the window again, and she was angrily tapping her foot when the two demons finally stopped cackling. She didn't even see what was so funny.

"I took the liberty of popping into Tourin's palace and inviting Kele and Juri to lunch. I think the four of us can get Koto to spill all of the juicy details," Kita told Hoshimi. Like Koto wasn't even sitting right next to her!

"We'll see about that," Koto growled and then went silent.

Kita disappeared with another quiet laugh, and Hoshimi hummed a little before stretching out on her bench seat and closing her eyes. She thought she'd stay awake for the carriage ride, between her adrenaline fueled morning and the earlier teasing she should have been keyed up enough to stay conscious, but she must have dozed off at some point. The next time she was aware of her surroundings, there was a crick in her neck and her mouth was dry. The outside of the carriage showed a lot of greenery, and that meant they were right at the palace. She slept the entire time! She didn't even get a chance to figure out how she was going to tell her sister, or her boss, that she was apparently dating the King of Tourin.

Koto groaned quietly and stretched her leg out, and she gently nudged Hoshimi's arm with her toes until the other woman finally opened her eyes. Hoshimi let out a jaw cracking yawn once she was sitting up, and she rubbed her eyes with her fists before looking out the window. The sleepy look on her face transformed into something a little more excited, and she was grinning when she looked over at Koto. Koto would have gulped or shifted around nervously, but she had never been the type to shy away from a challenge or confrontation. And she was definitely not about to start now!

"Let's go get lunch!" Hoshimi yelled as the carriage came to a stop. Koto squared her shoulders as Hoshimi literally leapt out of the carriage, and she took in a deep fortifying breath. Woodsy and a little earthy. A mixture of her scent and Yusuke's…everything was going to be okay.

 **.xXx.**

"Hiding, Yusuke? That doesn't seem like you." Yusuke looked away from the food in his lap at the sound of Kurama's quiet voice, and he quickly looked around at the rest of the hallway. Still empty. He was sitting in one of the smaller service hallways, not one of the main hallways, with his back pressed against a wall and a small lunch balanced on one thigh. He was planning on eating his lunch in silence, but it looked like the fox had sniffed him out.

"Who said I'm hiding? I'm not hiding. Just wanted some peace and quiet," Yusuke huffed. Kurama laughed quietly as he walked down the rest of the hallway until he was standing next to Yusuke, and he slowly sat down next to where Yusuke was sitting.

"There have been rumors," Kurama started. Yusuke glanced over at him with his usual scowl but didn't say a word. So Kurama continued. "Apparently, there was a scene at breakfast this morning. Some of the waiters were afraid that you were going to punch a noble's daughter for offending your girlfriend."

"I wasn't gonna punch her!" He really wasn't! He'd been angry after what the other demon had said, but he'd never thought about punching her. He wouldn't have stopped Koto from punching her though.

"But she did offend your girlfriend." Kurama wasn't asking a question, which meant that Yusuke had just answered his real question without even realizing it. He groaned as he let his head thunk back against the wall and closed his eyes, and he tried not to think of the quiet thump Koto's body had made when he pressed her against the wall this morning. Tried and failed.

"Look, if you're here to tell me it's a bad idea, I don't wanna hear it. Yeah, she's a little weird and yells too much, but I'm happy when I'm with her. I'm happy, with her." Saying the words out loud felt a little sappy, and Yusuke was a little surprised at how much he meant them. After all the shit he'd been through over the years, just sitting next to Koto was enough to make him feel happy.

"I'm not here to tell you that I think it's a bad idea, Yusuke. You're an adult and capable of making your own decisions. I only wanted to say congratulations and to remind you to be careful." The first part of what Kurama had said made sense, but the last part was a little confusing. Yusuke opened his eyes as he let his head fall forward, and he looked over to see that Kurama was already looking at him.

"Careful?"

"Sometimes, during intimate moments, demons can lose control of themselves. Demons mate forever, Yusuke." Kurama said it all with a straight face, like he was giving some kind of grammar lesson, and Yusuke swallowed a little as he felt a little bit of heat rise into his face.

"What? You think I'm gonna go all crazy and lose control? Give me some credit, dude." Kurama laughed quietly again, and Yusuke rolled his eyes. He didn't see what was so funny.

"New love can be intense, especially for a demon as strong as you." Wait, love? Yusuke hadn't said anything about love. They were just starting out! They were barely even dating at this point! Before Yusuke could tell Kurama any of that, the fox smoothly got to his feet and then looked down at him. "We should go before we're late."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'." If Yusuke was late again, there was a chance that Kokou might actually kill him. He was looking forward to going back home, so it'd be best to avoid that.

 **.xXx.**

"All we did was kiss!" Hoshimi and Kita were both sitting in their seats with their heads thrown back, cackling like two evil old ladies, while Kele and Juri laughed a little more quietly next to her. Koto groaned as she dropped her face into her hands, and she felt a hand lightly patting the top of her head. Definitely Kele. Because the pat was coming from her right side. She slowly twisted her head and peeked at her sister from between her fingers, and Kele smiled gently at her.

"Does he make you happy? Really happy?" Kele asked her quietly. Koto couldn't hear Juri laughing anymore, and Hoshimi and Kita were down to just barely audible giggles.

 _Her hands were touching against the back clasp of the necklace Yusuke had presented to her before the wedding when hands gripped her wrists, and she'd been surprised at the gentle hold. Yusuke was a fighter, a warrior, but his callused hands were gentle as they wrapped around her wrists to stop her._

" _Stop! It's a gift." He was stooped over a little, his shoulders were pulled forward, like he was trying to appear smaller and get on her eye-level at the same time. Koto blinked as the words registered, and she felt a little numb as she spoke again._

" _You're not actually courting me, so you can take the necklace back." They weren't friends. Not really. She was there during the Dark Tournament, he asked her to host the Demon World Tournament, and he only invited her to the royal wedding because they happened to run into each other in the market. That's it. He didn't owe her anything._

" _It looks better on you." His tone was teasing, but the smile on his face was genuine. He meant what he said. Koto tried to remember the last time someone that she wasn't related to said that something looked good on her, tried to remember the last time she'd been complimented outside of obligation, and came up blank. Yusuke was the first person to ever tell her something so simple just because._

 _Koto jumped into the air without thinking to wrap her arms around his neck, because she didn't want him to see the tears gathered in her eyes. Her family had to compliment her. Demons that respected her father, her position, had to compliment her. Guys that wanted to mate her to maybe get their chance at ruling the Cat Demon Tribes had to compliment her. Yusuke? He didn't have to do anything, but him saying that one little stupid sentence actually meant something to her. She was just never going to tell him that._

"He makes me feel…hmm."

 _Tozen and the demons following him attacked at the end of the third Demon World Tournament. Koto was running and dodging for her life when Kita appeared out of nowhere and quickly dropped her far away from the main bulk of the fighting, and Koto's first thought had been about Yusuke. She knew that he'd be right in the middle of it all, fighting, so she'd stayed put. Instead of running towards home with her tail tucked between her legs, she stayed on the sidelines. Sometimes she had to fight a little, but she mostly stayed safe. Because she had to know if he was okay before she took off, even though she was still angry at him. (Angry at herself.)_

 _Then he found her. Found her, stopped her, yelled at her, and held onto her as she yelled and tried to punch him. He just stood there and let her get it all out, and they agreed to be friends in the end. They'd looked each other in the eye, shook hands, and agreed to be friends. Because she didn't hate Yusuke. She'd never hated him._

"He makes me angry and a little crazy, sometimes, because he's stubborn and never thinks things through. Like coming to my rescue immediately after a war? What kind of idiot does that? He just, swooped in! And saved us! And then he took care of me. Because we're friends."

 _After what happened right before Yusuke pulled a knight-in-shining-armor, Koto had nightmares. Who wouldn't? Juri had been too weak to fight or use her energy as a shield, so it'd been up to Koto to use her energy and keep them barricaded. Juri drifted in and out of consciousness, so Koto was the one who listened to every vile thing those demons shouted at them. Nightmares were to be expected. Yusuke waking her up and then caring for her after she accidentally bit him while having a violent nightmare wasn't expected._

 _He'd cleaned her up, let her clean him up a little, and then tucked her into bed right beside him. It wasn't proper or even normal, but Yusuke never once acted uncomfortable or like she was some kind of burden. Instead, he'd wrapped his arms around her and held her close so that she could feel safe. She was sure that if it was anyone else, she'd fight and say that she didn't need anyone to feel safe. Because she didn't need anyone to feel safe. But laying with Yusuke? With their arms wrapped so tight around each other that she expected bruises and surrounding herself with him? That was more than just some physical sense of safe. That night, she'd felt…she'd felt cared for._

"We're friends who talk about whatever pops into our heads, and sometimes we're friends who cuddle. Friends cuddle."

 _The night before Yusuke left for Enki's, they traded places. Koto sat in his lap and let him play with her hair, and her ears, and she hadn't even complained when he started to lightly pet her tail. And she never let anyone touch her tail. Sitting curled up against him had been so comfortable though, had felt so completely right, that she couldn't think of a good reason for moving. She'd teased him a little and loved the little smile he got when he teased her back, but she'd had to quickly press her cheek against his chest so that he wouldn't see how shiny her eyes were. She hadn't been about to cry, but it had really hit her that he was going to be gone. He was going to be gone, and she was going to_ miss _him._

"And I like wearing his clothes because they're comfy, and I like sleeping in his bed because it's soft and huge."

 _When Yusuke first appeared in his room, the night before he told her about the spa passes, she thought she'd been dreaming. She'd been wearing his clothes and was sleeping in his bed, so dreaming about him wasn't that much of a stretch. It'd been him though. Really him. He'd fallen into the bed next to her, and she'd held him for once as she tried to soothe his constant headache. That night, she got the best sleep she'd gotten since he left._

 _And when he left the next day?_

"I hate that I'm here and he's not. It's not fair."

" _I'm goin'. See you at home."_

 _She watched him walk away, and that was when it really hit her. Tourin was home. It was where her family was, where her friends were, where her new job was…but it wasn't really home without Yusuke. Not just because he was the King or whatever either. It wasn't home until his loud voice was filling the rooms, or echoing in the gardens, or until he was just a few steps away. Tourin was home…because, at some point, Yusuke had become home._

"I'm in love with that idiot," Koto groaned and dropped her head onto the table. Kele made quiet shushing noises as one hand made sweeping circles over her back, and she could hear Hoshimi and Kita laughing again.

"I think you and Yusuke make a cute couple," Juri said quietly. Koto turned to look at her left, and the smile on Juri's face was small but completely genuine.

"A very loud one too," Kita added and then cackled again.

"Absolutely adorable!" It sounded like Hoshimi was agreeing with Kita, so Koto groaned again and hid her face.

"I'm sure he'll be home soon and then everything will be better. You'll see," Kele whispered. Well, her sister and friends might be laughing at her expense, but at least they all support her. Things could be worse. Right?

 **.xXx.**

"Alright, little guy, let me see you wiggle your fingers," Koto instructed gently. The small meerkat demon sniffled and raised his left arm, and Koto smiled encouragingly as he wiggled his index finger first. Then his middle finger. Then the second to last finger. And finally his pinky finger. "Awesome job! High five!"

"Thanks, Healer Orikasa!" The little demon cheered as their palms clapped together. It'd been two days since Hoshimi and Koto had returned to Tourin, and they'd both thrown themselves into work. Koto knew that it was because she was all tied up in knots about what happened with Yusuke. (He called her his girlfriend and she was pretty sure that they were a couple, an exclusive couple, but she'd had way too much time to think and worry about _everything_ over the past couple of days.) Hoshimi was probably missing Hokushin, so they were both working at the Healing Center as much as they could.

"Just be more careful when you're playing, okay?" Koto was holding the little demon's right hand now as she led him back towards their waiting room, where his mother was waiting, and his blonde hair waved around his face as he nodded vigorously. Probably because he now knew that grabbing jagged metal was very painful, even if it would have made a cool sword.

" _Haven't you heard?"_ That sounded like the meerkat's mother. Koto remembered that she'd had a high nasally voice. They weren't in view of the waiting room yet though, so Koto couldn't be one hundred percent sure.

" _Heard what?"_ a different woman asked.

" _About Orikasa and the King! Tora Akahoshi, you remember her?, she said that King Urameshi was courting Koto Orikasa!"_ the meerkat said. It sounded like she was trying to whisper, but Koto could clearly hear her even over the sound of her son humming as they walked down the hallway.

" _The Orikasas are still nobles, but why_ her _? After all of that vulgar announcing and now she's working as a healer? It's beneath her, and the King could do better. Can you imagine Koto as Queen? Or as a mother? She's always been so…"_

" _Defiant! Tora said she was always causing disturbances in class and questioning every little thing. Maybe the king is only with her for…well, you know."_ The meerkat woman's voice had dropped even lower, but Koto was close enough now to hear her clearly. A few more steps and she'd be in the entranceway to the waiting room.

" _You mean…as a consort?"_ the other woman gasped.

" _It's not like she's been saving herself for a mate, or so I've heard."_ Koto stepped into the entranceway to the waiting room just as the meerkat finished speaking, and wide green eyes quickly rose to meet hers. The woman sitting next to her was looking down at her lap with red cheeks, but Koto forced a smile onto her face as she led the demon child over to his mother.

"I was able to heal the lacerations to all of his fingers. They may be stiff for a couple of days, but he will be fine. If there are any complications, please do not hesitate to come back." Koto let go of the little kid's hand so that he could run towards his mother, and Koto bowed her head as the kid wrapped his arms around his mother's waist. When she looked up, the woman had bowed her head as well and was doing her best not to make eye contact. Both meerkats and the other woman quickly disappeared, and Koto sucked in a breath before turning on her heel. The work day was only halfway over.

The rest of the day passed by too quickly for her, and there was a bad taste in the back of her mouth for the rest of the day. Hoshimi had given her a weird look when she wished the dog demon goodnight, but that was probably because Koto usually had a little more pep in her voice. Even after a long day at the Healing Center. She just didn't have the energy to summon her usual cheerful tone. Hoshimi didn't question her though, so Koto just told her goodnight and then started back towards the palace.

Dinner was loud, and there were enough people talking and laughing around the table that most people didn't pay any attention to her. Juri and Kele both shot her worried looks a couple of times, but Koto was easily able to ignore them as Kimi and Kara told her about their day. Even Kuru talked about her lessons a little, and Chu bragged on her for taking down a student twice her size during the class he taught. Koto was proud of her younger sister, and she loved being surrounded by family and friends. Really, she did, she just wasn't feeling the best. So she told everyone goodnight after only finishing half of her food and then quickly escaped before anyone could stop her.

"I'm being ridiculous. Those idiots don't know anything," Koto grumbled as she walked into Yusuke's room. Most of her clothes had already migrated into an empty dresser in his room, random things of hers were scattered across the vanity he'd built for her that was still in his room, and she'd moved her cushioned balcony chair over to his balcony after they'd returned from Enki's palace. She had a feeling that Yusuke wouldn't mind.

"They don't even know Yusuke! He's way more vulgar than I am!" Koto yelled as the bedroom door slammed behind her. She was ripping her shirt over her head as she stalked into the bathroom, and she tossed the fabric into a basket specifically for dirty clothes before starting the shower. Then she hurriedly pulled off the rest of her clothes, dumped them in the basket, and stepped into the shower. "And being a healer is a noble job! I spend my days helping people! How is that _beneath_ me?!"

She stomped her feet against the little mat outside of the shower and then padded over to the large tub on damp feet. The water quickly turned hot, but she didn't sit in the tub until it was halfway full. The water was almost too hot, but it felt soothing as she slid a little further down the porcelain side. The back of her neck was cradled over the back of the tub, and she turned off the water with her toes once the tub was full enough.

"I'd be a good mother too! I like kids! So what if I like watching a good fight every now and then? It doesn't mean I'd be a bad mother," she grumbled to herself before dunking her head under the water. She held her breath for as long as she could, but she was still growling quietly as her head popped up over the surface of the water.

The bath clearly wasn't soothing her like she'd hoped it would, so she gave it up as a lost cause and carefully stood up. One towel roughly dried her hair and carefully dried her ears, and a second towel scrubbed the water off her body and then removed the water from her tail. Parts of her were still a bit damp as she walked out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom, and she went straight to the closet and opened both doors. The dresser on the left side held her clothes, and she opened the middle drawer and blindly reached inside. She was grumbling under her breath again as she pulled up the pale yellow panties, and she turned to the right side of the closet.

"And I was not defiant in class! None of those lessons made sense! Why is it the female's job to look after the home and the children? Shouldn't all of the responsibility be shared? Mating is supposed to be a partnership!"

She pulled on one of Yusuke's white tee shirts, a little thin from overuse and with the sleeves ripped off, but it felt soft against her skin. There was one good thing, at least, but she was still feeling pissed! Her bare feet pounded against the floor as she marched over to the perfectly made bed, and she ripped the blanket and sheet back in one go. Bright pink clashed against dark blue, and she huffed as she crawled up onto the bed and sat down. She pulled the bright pink sheet up first, then the fluffy dark blue blanket, and she smoothed both of them over her lap. Next, she was supposed to lay back and fall asleep. Instead she remained sitting up and glaring out into the empty room.

"I'm not just some bed warmer! I'm more than that! I'm _better_ than that!"

Koto's fingers tangled in her damp hair as her elbows dropped down to rest against her thighs, and she squeezed her eyes shut as they started to burn. She knew that Yusuke would never think of her that way. He could be an ass sometimes, sure, but he'd never think of her as some kind of _object_ like those two women had been implying. But…what if they were right about Yusuke being able to do better? She didn't even care about the King thing. Being a King didn't make someone a good person. Yusuke was good. Like, an actual honest hero. A clueless and reckless one, but still a hero. His first instinct was to save people. She actually cheered for him to die at one point! (She was pretty sure that he wanted her dead at one point too, but that was understandable considering the position he'd been in at the time.)

Yusuke and Koto were friends. It wasn't something she planned on, but she was happy for it. Yusuke made her happy, the idiot actually made her happy just by existing in the same space as her, but what if he didn't feel the same? What if he just thought he might like her and was testing it out? If things didn't work out between them, they wouldn't be able to go back to being friends. She wouldn't be able to handle it. So, if this whole relationship thing failed, not only would she be heartbroken…which, _gag_ …she'd also lose one of her closest friends. Maybe her best friend, after Juri. If this failed, she'd lose Yusuke.

 **.xXx.**

Azuma dropped him off in the center of his bedroom and then completely disappeared, and Yusuke closed his eyes with a quiet sigh at finally being home. The meetings were finally over, everything was finally worked out, and it felt so good to be home. To be back in his own room. He could even smell Koto's fresh scent, like she was right in the room with him. He was smiling as he opened his eyes and looked straight ahead, and the first thing he realized was that he was standing at the foot of his bed. The second thing he realized was that Koto was sitting in the middle of the bed with the blanket pulled up to her hips. The third thing he realized was that even though she was looking down and had her eyes clenched shut, her shoulders were still shaking and she was crying steadily enough to leave a small dark puddle on the blanket covering her lap.

"Koto? What happened?" He'd already crawled up onto the bed by the time she lifted her head and opened her eyes, and the aqua of her eyes looked even brighter as she continued to cry. Steadily but quietly.

"What if I'm not good enough? I'm stubborn, and rude, and vulgar, and my kids will probably be the same way. And I don't even know when I decided that it'd be a good idea to fall in love with you, because now if we break up I won't even be able to be your friend, and you can do better than me. There's better people out there, much better than me. Quieter, more compassionate, probably better at diplomatic queenly things, that'll probably make better parents. And—"

The more Koto talked, the tighter she gripped her hair in her fists, so Yusuke reached up to grab her wrists and slowly pulled her hands away from her hair before she could start ripping it out. He was kneeling in front of her now, so she had to tip her head back to keep eye contact with him. Her lips continued to move even though she wasn't making a sound, but Yusuke could read lips just enough to see one phrase being repeated in between all the other nonsense. _What if I'm not good enough?_

Yusuke made sure to keep eye contact as he tightened his grip on her wrists, not enough to hurt her but just enough to make her feel it, and then slowly leaned down. Leaned down slowly enough for her to pull away or move if she wanted to, but her eyes only widened as he got closer. He even kept his eyes open as he carefully pressed his lips against hers, and he watched the hazy color of her eyes disappear as her eyes closed and she sighed. He moved enough to gently catch her bottom lip between his and licked away the salt from her tears, and he felt her lean up towards him. He shifted to kiss her top lip before pulling away completely, and he watched the way that she licked her own lips before taking a deep breath and then opening her eyes.

"This is the part where you say something comforting," she informed him. The hold he had on her wrists moved so that he was holding her hands instead, and he kept eye contact as he laced their fingers together. He'd never been good with all of the mushy bullshit and romance talk, but he was going to try. Because Koto had been crying, and he didn't like seeing her cry.

"I like you because you're loud, stubborn, and rude. You tell me when I fuck things up, and you never back down. From me or anyone. There are quieter and probably more diplomatic or whatever people out there, but I don't want someone like that. I want you, because I don't know when or why but I love you too. Especially when you yell at me for being an idiot and play with my hair."

"You idiot!" Koto removed one of her hands so that she could slam her fist against the center of his chest, and he rocked back on his heels since he was still kneeling on the bed. Koto's cheeks were flushed, but she wasn't crying anymore. "That was the perfect thing to say."

"So we're good?" he asked and tried to smile. She still had a sort of murderous look in her eye, and he couldn't tell if it was the good kind of murderous or the bad kind. The fist against his chest unclenched and slid up his chest until she was gripping the side of his neck, and he went with it when she pulled him down. His forehead was pressed against hers, and he felt her soft exhale against his chin.

"Promise me that this is real. Not just some kind of testing the romance waters or whatever. This is real. I'm yours, you're mine, we're exclusive…the whole thing." Yusuke had never been the type to sleep around or date anyone really. There'd been Keiko, and he hadn't even thought of being with anyone else until Koto.

"I promise. Now can we go to sleep? I've got a headache from restraining myself from punching nobles." Koto's laugh tickled against his chin and his lips, and she strained upwards to lightly peck his lips before falling backwards.

"Sleep sounds good." Her hair was fanned out across a dark blue pillow, which looked a little odd against the bright pink sheets, but he liked the way the auburn color of her hair curled over the dark fabric.

"Oh, thank god," he groaned and then reached down to grab the bottom of his shirt. He quickly pulled his shirt off and tossed it over the side of the bed, and Koto was glaring up at him as he reached for his pants. "What?"

"You're a slob, that's what. Would it kill ya to put your dirty clothes in the dirty clothes basket?" she asked as he managed to get his pants off without getting off the bed. It left him in a pair of black boxers, they were almost like shorts, and he decided to just sleep in them for the night. He locked eyes with Koto as he tossed the pants in the same direction as his shirt, and her glare narrowed so much that she was squinting up at him.

"We have a dirty clothes basket?" he asked her. She'd said _we_. It was like his room was theirs now, which…he was completely okay with. Koto still had a dark look in her eyes as he crawled up the bed and then wiggled around to get under the sheet and blanket next to her, and he grinned over at her once he was settled.

"We do, but I'll forgive you just this once if you wipe that smirk off your face and cuddle me." They were both lying on their sides, facing each other, with their heads on different pillows. There was definitely too much space between them.

"Because you missed my hot bod?" Koto rolled her eyes, which only made him smirk wider, and she huffed as she looked only at his face.

"Because I missed you, idiot. Now hold me so I can go to sleep." This time Yusuke rolled his eyes before rocking onto his back to reach the lamp on the bedside table, and he quickly turned it off so that Koto wouldn't see his smile. Smile, not smirk, because she had just openly admitted to missing him. They'd also admitted to loving each other…they could deal with that in the morning.

"Get over here," he said once he'd rolled back over. He felt the bed dipping as Koto scooted over closer to him, and his arms wrapped around her back as she cuddled against his chest. He dropped his cheek down against the top of her head, so that his nose rubbed against the back of one ear, and Koto tangled her legs around one of his. It was a good thing too, because her feet felt like blocks of ice. "Night, Koto."

"Night, Yusuke."

 **.xXx.**

"Okay, so, let me get this straight…There's a chance that your demon blood or whatever can take over and completely ravage me?" Koto asked. She was lying on her side and facing towards the balcony, and small shafts of sunlight were starting to filter through the curtain over the balcony doors and lighting up the room.

"That is not what I said, but I think that's what the fox was getting at," Yusuke mumbled against the side of her neck.

He was spooned up behind her, and Koto couldn't remember ever feeling so warm. Yusuke's knees were tucked up behind hers, so her usually cold feet were toasty as they rested between his ankles. His bare front was pressed tight against her back, so the only thing really separating them was a very thin cotton tee shirt. Yusuke had one arm under the pillow under their heads, and his hand was sticking out just enough that he could run his fingers over the top of one ear. His other arm was wrapped around her middle, a little over her bellybutton, and she was holding his hand with both of hers. Her tail was wrapped around his waist, and his chin was hooked over her shoulder. They were completely tangled up together under the sheet, the blanket was kicked to the foot of the bed, and it was the most comfortable that Koto had ever been.

When they first woke up, she told Yusuke what she'd overheard at the Healing Center. He'd offered to hunt them down and kick their ass for her, which had made her laugh because she knew that he'd never actually hurt someone weaker than him. He'd probably cheer her on if she decided to fight them though. Then he'd torn down every point they'd made. Told her that her being rude, or vulgar, and loud was one of the things that he found most attractive about her. Said she had to be compassionate to be such a damn good healer, and that he knew she was a good healer because Hoshimi kept her around. Then he'd told her, when the time came, she'd make a kickass Queen and mother. It was a good thing they weren't facing each other, because she'd felt like her face had caught fire after that comment.

Then he'd told her about his conversation with Kurama. He'd talked so low when he said the word _love_ that she'd had to elbow him to make him speak up, and then he'd nearly shouted it so loud that she was worried she was going to go deaf. She'd still been laughing as he grumbled through the rest of the explanation, and she still thought it was hilarious. Yeah, sometimes demons could lose themselves in the moment or whatever, but she trusted Yusuke. She knew he'd never do something she didn't want.

"And completely ravaging me is a bad thing because…?" she prompted and bit down on her lip to stop from laughing. She may have realized that she was in love with Yusuke, but she wasn't ready to get mated. That didn't mean she couldn't tease him a little though. Yusuke groaned and buried his face in her neck, and Koto untangled one of her hands to reach up and back so that she could comb her fingers through his hair.

"I dated someone after the first Demon World Tournament. We went on two dates before jumping into bed together. I loved him, but it didn't work out because I was a little too headstrong and he thought I'd mellow out, but then he realized that's just who I was. Loud and a little weird. So we broke up, even though we loved each other, and he's the only person that I've ever been with. Romantically and sexually." She knew, from their long talk after she was first rescued, that Yusuke's only relationship had been with Keiko. The human girl from the Dark Tournament. She was pretty sure that was the only person Yusuke had ever had sex with too, because he didn't seem like the type to be intimate with just anyone.

"Are you trying to make a point?" Yusuke asked against the side of her jaw.

"I think we should wait." She sighed as Yusuke moved to nuzzle the side of her neck again, and she shifted against him to get a little more comfortable.

"Before ravaging?" The question was muffled against the side of her neck and caused her toes to curl, and she hummed a little as she smoothed out a tangle in Yusuke's hair.

"Yes, before that. Can you tell me why you love me?" she asked him. They've both said it, but they said it during a very heated moment. She'd been crying! Now that they were calmer, they could actually talk about it.

"Because being around you makes me happy. We don't even have to be doing anything. Just sitting next to you makes me happy. And because you thanked me. No one else ever thanked me like you did." Yusuke's tone sounded a mixture of embarrassed and matter of fact, and Koto twisted her head just enough to press a kiss against his chin. Then she turned back around to watch the way that the sunlight slowly started to fill the room. "Now it's your turn. If I gotta say all this mushy stuff, so do you."

"Because when I think about home, I think about you. Even when I'm angry with you, I want to be next to you. I'm happy whenever we're in the same space together. You take care of me, without me having to ask." Okay, so maybe saying it all out loud was a little embarrassing, but they're both adults. Talks like these were important. "That being said, I think it's important that we don't let our romantic feelings get clouded by physical ones. We both need to know that this is about more than just hormones."

"But we both just gave really heartfelt reasons for _being in luuurve_ ," Yusuke said and sang the ending a little. Koto freed one foot and sharply kicked him in the shin, and the loud yelp that made her ears ring was totally worth it. She waited for Yusuke to stop grumbling and then continued.

"Yeah, we did, but this is still really new. I want to do this right. Don't you?" She looked over her shoulder, and wide brown eyes met hers as Yusuke dropped his chin back onto her shoulder.

"Yes, I want to do this right. What's your plan?" She lightly bit her bottom lip, because she did have a plan, but she wasn't sure how he was going to react to it.

"No sexual activities for six months," she stated. Yusuke's brows drew down as he studied her, as if testing her to see if she was being serious, and she waited for him to start yelling and complaining. Most guys would complain if they were told they'd have to wait half a year before…well, before being able to do anything really.

"Can we still kiss?" he asked. Okay, so that wasn't the exact response she was expecting.

"Kissing is allowed, but it can't go too far."

"Can we still cuddle?" he asked next. Cuddling wasn't sexual…they were cuddling now, and it was totally innocent.

"Cuddles are okay."

"Can we still sleep in the same bed at night?" Yusuke's expression was totally serious, and Koto raised a brow as she continued to look at him over her shoulder.

"I had these sheets custom made. This bed is ours." Yusuke's grin was sudden and bright, and Koto froze as he leaned forward to press a kiss against her forehead. Then he vaulted over her to stand next to the bed and start stretching. Her eyes widened as her jaw dropped, because watching Yusuke's bare torso flex in the morning light was…distracting. Weren't they talking about something important? "I mean it, Urameshi! No orgasms, for six months!"

"I heard you," he said as he twisted to pop his shoulder. Koto forced her eyes away from him as she sat up, and she did her best not to worry about the state of her hair. It probably looked like there was a wild animal nesting in it, but Yusuke's hair looked like he'd been electrocuted so that helped her worry a little less.

"So, you in or out?" He turned around so that he was facing her, and she kept her eyes somewhere above his collarbones. She liked Yusuke because of _who_ he was, but the fact that he looked really good shirtless was a nice bonus.

"I'm in. Wanna know why?" Koto gripped the blanket over her lap as he walked to the side of the bed, and she tipped her head back as he leaned down to get on her eye-level.

"Why?" Her voice sounded too quiet to her ears, so she cleared her throat and asked a little louder. "Why's that?"

"'Cause I love you." She felt her breath stutter for a moment in her chest, and that was the moment that Yusuke chose to dip down and press a chaste kiss against her lips. Then he was walking off towards the bathroom to start getting ready for the day.

"I love you too, you idiot!" Koto could hear Yusuke laughing over the sound of the shower starting, and she groaned as she slipped out of bed so that she could start making it. She could already tell that this was going to be a long six months.

* * *

 **Ending Note:** I can't believe this story is almost over! After this, there's only one more chapter and then an epilogue. If there's anything you'd like to see in this story before the end, please let me know!

The italicized parts when Koto is thinking about Kele's question, those scenes are from the following chapters: _**Two, Four, Five, Six, Eight,**_ and _**Ten**_. Funnily enough, each of those scenes were written from Yusuke's perspective! So I thought it'd be fun to see what Koto was thinking/experiencing during those moments.

 **SakiHanajima1:** I'm so glad you liked the chapter! Not gonna lie, I was super nervous about it, because half of the chapter was just kissing. lol. And I did try to sneak in cute little moments! Like Yusuke actually saying the word girlfriend. Oh, they grow up so fast. I hope you liked the update! And THANK YOU for the review!

 **Guest:** I'm sorry that I kept you waiting for so long! This update was a little quicker though, and there should be another one out soon since this story is coming to an end. I'm so happy to hear that you liked the characterization! Because I do realize that I'm writing for a crackship, so keeping them in character was important to me because I wanted them to work without having to change who they are. (I think that made sense.) And if you do read my other stories, I hope you enjoy them! Thank you for the review!

 **shirohara:** I was blushing the entire time I was writing the previous chapter. And don't tell anyone, but I'm going to be blushing a lot while writing the next chapter too. Thank you for the review!


	12. Just Any Other Day

**Author's Note:** It took longer than I planned, but here's the last chapter! (Besides a short Epilogue, which will be out in a couple of days.) I'm going to miss this story, because I love this pairing, and I hope the ending was worth the wait. Now I'm gonna stop before I start crying and let you read the chapter.

 **Small Warning:** Slight sexual content at the end of the chapter. Feel free to skip it.

 **Post Date:** 15 October 2017

 **Word Count:** 12,390

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve  
** **Just Any Other Day**

 **June 1, 1999**

"You what?!" Koto looked away from her paperwork and over at Hoshimi, and the dog demon was staring at her with wide eyes and a dropped jaw.

"It's just six months." The whole palace knew that Yusuke was back because he'd been at breakfast this morning, and Koto wouldn't be surprised if the whole kingdom knew by now. He really needed to invest in some quieter friends, and that meant a lot coming from her.

"But, why?" The first thing Hoshimi had asked her after they left the palace was how her night had went, but Koto hadn't answered because they'd still been out in the open where anyone could hear. So Hoshimi just kept asking until they reached their shared office space at the Healing Center, and Koto told her the truth.

"Because we want to make sure that the relationship is real." When Hoshimi just continued to look at her like she was crazy, Koto noticeably rolled her eyes. "I think we can control ourselves for six months."

"If you last an entire six months, I'll give you a whole week off," Hoshimi stated after a few quiet moments. Koto liked her job, she liked helping people, but a whole week off?

"Deal." It was six months. Maybe that'd be a long time for a human to wait, but they were both demons. They were going to live for centuries, so what was a few months compared to that?

 **July 5, 1999**

"We." Two strong hands gripped her hips. "Can't." A tongue traced her lips before dipping inside. "Do." Lips drug down the side of her neck before teeth closed around the exposed part of her shoulder. "This."

"Then why'd you sit in my lap?" Yusuke groaned against her collarbone. Koto was absently aware of her fingers flexing in his hair, and she pulled away from him enough to look down. Yusuke was sitting in her balcony chair, on their balcony, and he'd looked like he was just relaxing when she spotted him. He hadn't been doing anything special, and he'd looked the same as always. Faded jeans. Thin white tee shirt. His hair hadn't been gelled down for once. That was the last thing she really remembered.

"I, uh, wanted to say hello?" Large brown eyes met hers right before they closed as Yusuke started laughing, and Koto was moved along with him because she was straddling him. She didn't even remember moving forward to straddle him and sit in his lap. That was probably a bad sign.

"Quit laughin', you idiot! It's not funny!" she yelled and used a fist to hit his chest. Yusuke kept laughing as he pulled his hands out from under her shirt, and his arms crossed over her back as he pulled her flush against him. Her knees were tucked against his sides, and she curled her body so that her cheek was pressing against his shoulder. One of her ears even brushed his chin.

"This isn't gonna be easy, huh?" he asked after he finally stopped laughing. The second setting sun felt warm against her back, but Yusuke was like a furnace against her front as she cuddled close to him.

For the past month, Koto had woken up every morning with Yusuke. Sometimes she was sprawled over him and sometimes he was holding her close, but they were always touching in some way. Koto had to wake him up every morning because he was stubborn and hated waking up, and some mornings she had to remind herself that she had a job and couldn't spend all day in bed with him. They went down to breakfast together, and they stayed separated during the day. Yusuke did his kingly duties, with Hokushin's help, and Koto worked at the Healing Center. Then, together, they ate dinner with everyone else in the palace. They ended their nights together, and they usually went over their days while curled up on the balcony. For the past month, Koto had fallen asleep with Yusuke in _their_ bed.

"If it was easy, it wouldn't be fun," she quipped and leaned forward to nuzzle against the side of his neck. She felt one of his hands move up to cup the back of her neck, and she sighed as she melted against him.

"Only five months to go," Yusuke whispered. Five months to go…The strangest part? Koto was already sure that it was real for her. Something told her that it was real for Yusuke too, but she had to be sure.

 **August 18, 1999**

Koto's thighs were soft against his hands as he held her up, and the fingers pressing against his shoulders were probably going to leave bruises. Little dots of pain. Yusuke was surprisingly okay with that. Koto made a quiet sound as he pressed harder against her, something between a sigh and a moan, and Yusuke tightened his grip on her thighs as short nails pushed against his shirt. Koto's head tilted _just so_ , and it felt like something in his chest broke as her lips parted even more under his. He moved one hand to lightly cup her jaw, and he could feel the way the muscle in her jaw moved as she held him close and kissed him. Koto was never really passive, but she'd never been this aggressive either.

 _Knock! Knock! Knock!_

"Koto! Yusuke! We're leaving in ten! Don't be late!" Kele called after knocking on their bedroom door. Koto pulled away from his lips with a wet sound, and her aqua eyes looked huge as their noses brushed.

"We'll be right there!" Koto called back. Her back was pressed against the bedroom door, so Yusuke heard Kele hum a little before walking away. Once they were both sure that she was far enough away, they groaned in tandem. Koto's head fell back against the door, and Yusuke's eyes were drawn to the bare length of her neck. Normally Koto wore some kind of necklace, like her bowtie, but her skin was bare today.

"What are we doing again?" Yusuke asked as he watched her swallow. Her eyes were closed, so she couldn't see the way he was eying her neck. That was probably a good thing. She loved having stuff over him, and him staring at her neck like a starving man looks at a buffet? Definitely blackmail material.

"Amusement park for the kids. You know, the orphanage you helped set up. Games and stuff. Should be fu— _Oh_!" She'd kept her eyes closed and her head pressed back against the door as she spoke, and he hadn't been able to help himself.

His lips brushed over the center of her throat so that he could feel the vibrations as she hummed, and her thighs tightened around his ribs as he shifted to press his lips against the side of her neck. He still had one hand cupping her jaw, so he turned her head so that he could lightly drag his teeth over the side of her neck. The sound she made was low and breathy, and her fingers moved up to pull at his hair. Not to pull him away. To pull him closer. Her upper body pressed tighter against his as she kept his teeth against the side of her neck, and he tightened his hold on her thigh at her low whine.

" _Gotta stop. I gotta stop."_ Yusuke let his tongue taste the salt of her skin, felt the way her body rolled against his, and then reluctantly pulled back. He kept holding Koto up, and he watched as she took in a few deep breaths before opening her eyes. She looked a little dazed as she licked her lips, and he clenched his jaw and reminded himself that they had to leave. Soon. Probably now, before they could get distracted again.

"We should go, before someone else comes looking for us," Koto said quickly.

"Right." Yusuke moved both hands to her hips, and Koto smiled as she let her legs fall away from his waist. He carefully placed her back on her feet and watched as she immediately reached up to smooth down her hair, and Yusuke smiled as he reached up to push his hair back too. He'd stopped putting gel in it because it usually got messed up anyway, but it'd probably be best to at least try and look like they'd been behaving themselves.

"Four months?" Koto asked as she looked up at him. Her eyes were wide and clear, and her smiling lips were a darker pink than usual and a little swollen. It was one of his favorite looks.

"Four months," he agreed. Koto beamed a smile up at him and then turned on her heel to open the door, and Yusuke sighed a little before following after her. Four months…if he survived that long.

 **September 15, 1999**

"Umm, Koto?" She blinked as she looked away from the lunch in her lap, the lunch that she hadn't even touched yet, and slowly looked to her right. Purple eyes met hers, because she was having lunch in the gardens with Juri today, or she was supposed to be eating lunch with Juri. Not just staring down at her food. She blinked when Juri just kept looking at her, and she slowly straightened her shoulders as she continued to hold her friend's gaze.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Did you get hurt at the Healing Center?" Hurt? Her morning at the Healing Center had been pretty boring actually. She was caught up on her paperwork for once, and they'd only had one patient. An elderly demon who'd fallen off his roof while trying to clear off some kind of debris, but one of the other healers had gotten to him first. So, she spent her morning sitting in a chair and sighing up at the ceiling.

"No, why?" Juri was still a lot quieter compared to the demon that Koto first met all those years ago, but she was doing better in small groups or in one-on-one conversations. She talked easier and above a whisper, at least. She even teased Koto from time to time.

"There's, um, there's a large bruise on the side of your neck that wasn't there at breakfast." Koto's hand instantly rose to slap her hand over the right side of her neck, and she felt her eyes widening as her cheeks flushed. Her reaction tipped off Juri, who started to laugh quietly as Koto groaned in embarrassment.

"I'm guessing you didn't make it to six months then?" Juri asked while trying to hold in her laughter.

"We didn't have sex!" Koto's rushed answer caused Juri to really laugh, loudly instead of nearly silently, and Koto huffed as she pressed her palm against the hot ache on the side of her neck. "Yusuke just stopped by the Healing Center on his way to train with Chu, that's all!"

 _Koto had been bored out of her mind and counting down the minutes until she could leave for lunch, and Hoshimi had kicked her out of the office because she was starting to fidget. So she'd been stuck in a supply closet, taking inventory, when Yusuke found her. She knew it was him the second his arms wrapped around her waist from behind, because she knew his scent. She also knew how it felt to have his arms wrapped around her, so she hadn't even startled when he suddenly appeared behind her. She had gone completely still when he bent down enough to whisper in her ear that he was just passing through and only stopped by for a quick hello._

 _She'd been about to turn around to kiss him, she loved kissing him, but he'd ducked down even farther and gently pressed his teeth against the right side of her neck. Her fingers had scrabbled against his arms before locking around his wrists as he sucked at the thin skin over the side of her throat, and she'd gone up onto her tiptoes to push against the feeling. Yusuke had been a hot line against her back as his tongue traced small circles on her skin, and she'd had to bite down on her lip to keep from making a sound as he pulled her flush against him._

 _He disappeared as quickly as he'd appeared, and Koto had to count backwards from one hundred five times before she felt put-together enough to leave the supply closet and finally take her lunch break._

"Stopped by for a bite," Juri teased and reached out like she was going to poke the side of Koto's neck. Initiating contact was a big deal for Juri, but Koto still leaned away with a small annoyed scowl on her face. (Small annoyed scowl, because she was proud of how far Juri had come.)

"Does it look really bad?" Koto hadn't really had a chance to look before fleeing the Healing Center to come to the gardens for her lunch break, but the right side of her neck did feel a little hot and sore. It was a good feeling though, because she kept remembering the way Yusuke felt pressed against her as he held her tight.

"Not at all," Juri said with a too innocent smile and a shake of her head. Which meant it was probably huge and looked obvious. Koto could heal it, easily, but she didn't really want to. Why should she? "So, I guess that means you still have three months to go then?"

"Three to go," Koto confirmed. By now, all of the adults in the palace knew about her and Yusuke's agreement. She didn't have proof, but she had a feeling that some of them had made bets about whether or not they'd make it through all six months.

"You don't have to keep waiting. It's obvious that Yusuke loves _you_." Sometimes Koto would turn around and catch Yusuke just staring at her, and there wouldn't be any kind of heat in his gaze. He looked at her because he liked looking at her.

" _Because looking at you makes me happy. And you better not tell anyone I said something so mushy! Blrgh!"_ Yusuke had told her once after she snapped and asked him what he was staring at. His answer had startled her at first, and she'd laughed to cover up her blush. Of course, laughing just caused him to tackle her and tickle her, which led to…well. Three months was starting to feel like an eternity.

 **October 9, 1999**

Yusuke pulled at the tight collar of his shirt, scowled at Kurama as the fox smiled knowingly at him, and then crossed his arms with an angry huff. He hated dressing up. The clothes were too formal, everything felt awkward, and he had the strongest urge to punch someone. He heard Kurama laugh quietly next to him as he shifted on his feet, again, even though his _supposed_ friend tried to hide the sound behind his hand and a fake ass cough.

"What are you laughing at?!" Yusuke asked just as someone else in the room let out a loud cheer. Possibly a couple of someones.

"You seem…distracted," Kurama said after a moment.

Yusuke wasn't distracted. He was annoyed. Wait, that wasn't really fair. All of them were gathered at Enki's palace to celebrate the fact that Enki and Koku were going to be parents, and Yusuke was happy for them. Really. (Even though the thought of a mini-Koku running around kind of terrified him a little. He was really hoping that the little demon took after Enki.) He was just annoyed that he had to wear his "fancy" clothes for this part of the celebration. Wait, if Koku was pregnant, did that mean they were going to skip the drinking part of the celebration? There had already been dancing, but everyone was sober. Except for Chu, but he was never sober anyway. Yusuke wasn't a lush like Koku and Chu, but he usually enjoyed the dancing part of the celebrations a little more after a couple of drinks. Then again, dancing with Koto earlier had been nice. She was wearing a tight black dress and the necklace he'd given her, and the dress had felt like silk against his hands as he held her close.

"I'm not distracted," he mumbled when he realized that Kurama was still staring at him with a knowing look in his eyes. Yusuke just didn't know what Kurama thought he knew. Kurama hummed and then looked away, and Yusuke was still looking at the side of Kurama's face and trying to figure out what the fox was thinking when Kurama's smile suddenly widened.

"I think I'll go see where Hiei is hiding," Kurama said before melting into the crowd. Hiei had the right idea about things. He always managed to disappear during the large celebrations, and Kurama was the only one that could ever find him.

"There you are!" Yusuke heard right as slim fingers wrapped around his wrist. He could just see the tips of Koto's ears as she pulled him through the crowd, and Yusuke didn't even bother trying to break her hold. Koto was stronger than she looked.

He expected her to stop on the dance floor, or the section of the ballroom floor that everyone was using as a dance floor, but she skirted around the dancing pairs. Well, some of them were dancing in groups of three or more. Koto kept to the wall as she pulled him along behind her, and he weaved around the few people that they passed and did his best not to make eye contact with anyone. If he made eye contact, they'd try to talk to him. After several minutes and a lot of careful maneuvering, they slipped out of the ballroom and into a hallway. Yusuke expected Koto to stop since the hallway was empty, but she kept tugging him along.

"Where are we going?" he finally decided to ask. Koto peeked over her shoulder just long enough to smile at him and then she quickened her steps so that he was forced to nearly jog to keep up with her. He could hear her laughing quietly as she suddenly made a left turn, and Yusuke slid to a stop to keep himself from accidentally knocking Koto over.

They were standing out on a balcony, an empty one, and the cool night air felt amazing after being stuck in a ballroom packed with celebrating demons. He was looking up at the dark sky and taking in deep breaths when he felt small hands slide up his chest to his shoulders, and he looked down at Koto's grinning face. Her eyes were wide and bright, and a few locks of hair were stuck to her flushed cheeks. He liked seeing Koto happy, even when it was at his expense, but he especially liked it when she was happy just because.

"I've been wanting to do this since our first dance."

"Do what?"

He'd barely gotten the question out before her hands tightened against his shoulders and pulled him down as she raised up onto her toes, and Yusuke felt his eyes widen as Koto's lips pressed against his. His eyes closed as he moved his arms around her waist, and he moved one hand up to press between her shoulder blades. The dress dipped down so that the skin there was bare, and he felt Koto sigh happily as she pulled back from him. The tips of their noses were still brushing, so she hadn't moved far, but he still tightened his grip around her waist so she wouldn't move farther away.

"Sorry, I've just had the urge to do that for the past two hours and I couldn't take it anymore," Koto said with a small smile. By now, Yusuke could interpret what most of her smiles meant. The small smile, the one that caused the edges of her lips to barely curl, only appeared when she was feeling nervous or embarrassed.

"You know you don't have to apologize for kissing me, right? You don't have to wait either." His fingers spread apart between her shoulder blades, and he felt the way her body moved as she took in a deep breath and then slowly released it.

"Yeah, I know that, but there's a lot of people here. Our friends, nobles, probably random demons that heard music and wandered in. PDA at home is cool and all, but I was trying to be respectful and ladylike," she explained with a small huff. Koto was a loud person with an in-your-face personality, which was what he loved most about her if he was being honest, but he knew that she got a little insecure sometimes. It happened to everyone, and Yusuke knew it was his job to help get rid of those insecurities.

"That's it! We're going back!" Yusuke moved before Koto could react, and her arms flailed wildly before wrapping around his neck since he was carrying her in his arms now.

"What are you doing?!" she yelled as he lengthened his strides.

"We are going back to the ballroom. We are going to dance, right in the middle of the dance floor, and I am going to kiss you right in front of everybody! And if anyone has a problem with that, they can kiss my royal ass!"

Yusuke stumbled to a stop as hands gripped the side of his face, and he froze in the middle of the hallway as Koto's lips covered his own. For a moment, he forgot where he was and what he was supposed to be doing. All he knew was that Koto's lips tasted like cherry wine, that her silky dress easily bunched up under his fists, and that her hands were warm against his cheeks as she leaned up to taste him. When Koto pulled back some unknown time later, it took Yusuke a couple of seconds and a few deep breaths before he could open his eyes. This time Koto's smile was soft, her bottom lip was a little fuller than usual, and she gently brushed a hand over his gelled hair.

"I can't believe I fell for such an idiot." She said the words as her fingers brushed over his ears, and he smoothed her dress against her thigh.

"You love me." His tone and smile were both cocky, but he meant what he said. Because he knew that Koto loved him, just like he knew that he loved her. Koto leaned up to lightly nuzzle under his chin as her arms wrapped around his shoulders again, and he started walking again but at a slower pace this time.

"I love you," Koto quietly confirmed as sounds from the ballroom started to reach them. She didn't have to though, because Yusuke already knew. It's not like either of them were all that subtle.

"I love you too." Koto shifted so that he could see her smile, and that smile was just for him. That was the one that caused little dimples in her cheeks, put crinkles next to her eyes, and made her nose scrunch up just a little. He'd only ever seen her smile at him like that. "And now we're gonna go show up the rulers of Demon World with our kickass love and watch them choke on their jealousy!"

Koto was still laughing as he spun her in his arms so that her feet could touch the ground, and he could hear people laughing and cheering as they started to dance right in the center of the designated dance floor. And when the song ended and the dance was over? Yusuke did that ridiculous dip thing that girls seemed to love and kissed Koto like they were the only ones in the room.

 **November 17, 1999**

"I think I pulled something," Yusuke groaned. Koto looked away from the changing colors of the sky and over at Yusuke, who was laying stretched out on his back and wriggling around. He'd spent the day at the orphanage, and Yusuke was a sucker when it came to kids so he'd probably let them all take turns beating him up. The idiot.

"Roll over." She poked his shoulder until he did as she asked, and she grinned once he was laying on his stomach instead. He complained, pretty much constantly, but he still usually did whatever she asked. Demanded. Whatever.

The day was pretty much over, and this section of the gardens was empty except for the two of them. Koto sat up and rolled her shoulders, and she stretched her arms over her head before turning and slinging a leg over Yusuke's back. She carefully straddled his waist and settled her weight on his ass, and she frowned down at his shirt. That was gonna have to go. When she started pulling on the grass stained white shirt, Yusuke wiggled around and helped her pull it off of him. Once his upper body was bare, Koto leaned forward and pressed her palms against the tops of his shoulders.

"Best. Girlfriend. Ever," Yusuke slurred as she massaged the tense knots out of his back. She was only using a little bit of her own energy to help heal him, because she could tell that he'd let the little ones clobber him all day. A tiny part of her wanted to be annoyed, because he always got sore and whined about being sore after spending an entire day at the orphanage, but that part of her always shut up whenever she pictured Yusuke surrounded by happy children. She'd seen him at the orphanage, more than once, and watching him with the kids was…adorable. It was absolutely adorable, so she didn't mind massaging away the aches he'd accumulated.

"You're only saying that so I won't stop before you're all healed up," she teased. Yusuke's body shifted under her as his arms moved, and his hands lightly patted the parts of her thighs that he could reach in his current position.

"Also the best because you play with my hair." What? She fell asleep easier with his hair between her fingers.

"You just look better with messy hair," she countered. She'd noticed that he'd stopped gelling it down, which made her happy because it meant her fingers didn't get stuck whenever she tried running her fingers through his hair. Also, his hair was _so soft_. It was kind of unfair since hers seemed to be permanently tangled.

"And cause you keep the room clean." She still made the bed every morning, and it was like second nature now to pick up Yusuke's strewn clothes and dump them into the dirty clothes basket. It was just another part of her daily routine.

"One of us has to, and you're a complete slob." Yusuke hummed after she worked out a tense knot under his left shoulder blade, and she gentled her hands a little as she continued down his back.

"And you're the best because you take care of me." He sounded like he was half asleep now, and she felt her face heating up just a little at his completely honest tone. She didn't "take care of him" or anything like that. She just made sure he got up on time in the mornings, reminded him about meetings and other kingly duties he forgot about, helped him with his speeches and outfits sometimes, reminded him to eat, told him to take it easy whenever he started pushing himself too much…Huh. Okay. Maybe she did take care of him a little.

"You're just saying that so I won't beat you up for missing our picnic." They'd had a picnic planned, which was why they were in the gardens, but Yusuke had been over two hours late. Koto wasn't actually angry, because she knew he'd been at the orphanage and it normally took him about three hours to say goodbye to the kids, but she liked teasing him.

"Is it working?" She'd been massaging his back, but he'd somehow flipped over without jostling her at all. So now she was straddling his lap and had her hands pressed flat against his stomach. His eyes were open wide as he grinned up at her, but she could still tell that he was tired.

"I'll forgive you if…" She trailed off as her hands moved across his stomach and up his chest, and she could admit that the view was a little distracting. She thought she'd be used to seeing Yusuke half naked by now, but she always felt the urge to touch him. But she was in the middle of saying something, wasn't she? Right! "If you carry me to our room, and bring the picnic basket. We'll just have dinner in bed."

Yusuke was on his feet in an instant, and Koto locked her legs around his waist. He tucked his tee shirt into his back pocket before leaning over to grab the still full picnic basket, and he kept one arm braced across her lower back as he started walking towards the palace. Koto leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder, and her eyes closed as his familiar scent wrapped around her. Yeah, he was already forgiven, but he didn't have to know that. Not until she at least got a foot massage out of him.

 **December 1, 1999**

Koto listened to the bedroom door rattle as it slammed shut, because Yusuke was running late for his meeting with Hokushin, and she scrubbed a hand through her hair as she sat in the middle of the bed. It was a Monday, so she'd normally be in a rush herself to get to work, but she had the next two days off. Work had been so slow that the healers had been rotating days off, and today and tomorrow were Koto's free days. She sighed as she twisted around to look over at her vanity, where she had a small stand-up calendar, and her eyes stared at the date like she could set the little calendar on fire with just the heat of her stare.

Six months. Her and Yusuke had been official for six months. It'd been an entire six months since they admitted they loved each other, and six months since their agreement. Koto had no doubts about her relationship with Yusuke; she knew that they were together because they genuinely cared about each other, not because of hormones, so why was she feeling so nervous? Ugh, this feeling was going to drive her crazy!

"I'll go talk to Kele. That's what big sisters are for, right? For calming down their neurotic and ridiculous little sisters," Koto mumbled to herself as she crawled out of bed.

She made the bed on autopilot, and she walked over to her vanity once the bed was made to her standards. She ignored the calendar and instead turned towards the small radio that Kurama had gotten for her, and she switched it on before moving off into the bathroom. She took a quick shower and then got dressed in her usual leisure clothes, because this was just any other day. So she slid on a pair of loose pink shorts, tugged on a plain white sports bra, and slipped on one of Yusuke's sleeveless yellow shirts. She gathered up the end of the shirt and pulled it up to her waist so that she could tie it off above her right hip, because the shirt would hang down past her shorts if she didn't. Then she slid on a pair of sandals and went in search of her sister.

It was still early, so she should be able to catch Kele before she left for the school. She peeked into the dining room, and she saw everyone except for Kele. (Yusuke and Hokushin were missing too, but she knew where they were.) Maybe Kele was still in her room? Koto sighed as she turned around and started to go back up the stairs, and she cursed herself for flying down the stairs and not stopping on her sister's floor in the first place. She had just cleared the landing for her sister's floor when she heard Kele's light laughter, and Koto froze. That wasn't the kind of laugh that someone made after hearing a joke. It sounded almost…flirty?

After a moment of indecision, Koto raised up on her tiptoes and quietly walked a little farther down the hallway. She caught sight of Kele standing just outside of her bedroom, and her sister was definitely not alone. Kele's back was pressed against her bedroom door, and Azuma was standing in front of her. They were standing so close that their bodies pressed together as they breathed, and Kele laughed quietly again as Azuma reached up to start putting his long red hair up. Wait, so, did that mean the shadow demon had spent the night in Kele's room?! When did that happen?!

Well, now that she was thinking about it, she had seen more of Azuma around the palace. He normally sat next to Kele during mealtimes, and Koto's younger sisters were always poking at him and asking him questions. Even little Kisuke toddled after Azuma whenever he wasn't in shadow form, which was less common lately. Was that because Kele and Azuma were…together? Or something like that? Koto could admit that she'd been a little less observant of certain things since she'd gotten with Yusuke, but she didn't think she'd miss something as big as her sister dating someone.

Koto started to back away as Azuma leaned down, and she was out of sight before she could see the shadow demon kissing her sister. Okay, so maybe she wouldn't talk to her sister about her little crisis today. Tomorrow though, she was going to get Kele alone and get all the details on her sister's love life. By the time Koto reached the dining room for breakfast, she was smiling because her sister had looked happy. That's all she'd ever really wanted for her big sister, but she was still going to get some details. Later.

 **.xXx.**

"Eat quickly. The clan leaders will be here soon," Hokushin said after handing him a plate. Yusuke looked down at his small breakfast, looked up as Hokushin hurried out of the room, and then groaned before poking at his food. Stupid clan leaders and their stupid…he forgot why the clan leaders were coming. Oh well. Hokushin would fill him in when he got back.

"Big day, huh, Urameshi?!" Yusuke jumped at the sound of his friend's loud voice, especially in the large meeting room which caused even small noises to echo, and he barely managed to keep all of his food on his plate.

"Dammit, Kuwabara! I almost spilled it!" Kuwabara laughed as he walked farther into the meeting room, and Yusuke popped a large piece of bread into his mouth. Kuwabara stopped next to him with a wide grin, and Yusuke raised a brow as he asked around the food in his mouth, "Waz 'at 'ook for?"

"Geeze, Urameshi, don't talk with your mouth full like that. It's rude." Yusuke rolled his eyes and hurriedly swallowed, and he took a quick breath before looking over at Kuwabara again.

"I said, what's that look for?" Kuwabara's slightly disgusted look was replaced by another large grin as Kuwabara wiggled his eyebrows and lightly nudged Yusuke in the ribs with an elbow.

"Today's the big day! Love is in the air!" Kuwabara spread his arms out above his head, and Yusuke felt his eyes widen at the dopey look on Kuwabara's face. Big day? What was today? It took him a moment to remember the date, and he nearly choked on his own spit when he realized what the date was. It was his and Koto's six month anniversary, which meant—"Don't tell me ya forgot, Urameshi!"

"Forgot?" Yusuke choked out. Kuwabara glared at him as he crossed his arms, and Yusuke told himself to calm the fuck down. Today was just another day. Today wasn't going to change anything, except that he'd be able to do more than just kiss Koto if she was ready to take the next step in the physical part of their relationship. So, yeah, just another day.

"The Tiger and Jaguar Clans? You're approving their clans joining together? Through mating?" When Yusuke just continued to stare blankly at him, Kuwabara made a frustrated sound and uncrossed his arms to jab a finger against the center of Yusuke's chest. "You're marrying two people today!"

"Right! That's why I have a speech card!" Yusuke suddenly remembered. Koto had tucked it into his back pocket as he gave her a goodbye kiss before rushing out of their bedroom, because he'd been running late. As usual.

"You're such a spazz sometimes, Urameshi." Kuwabara was smiling, so Yusuke decided to let the comment slide. For now. Besides, Yusuke had more important things to think about. Like it being his six month anniversary. Was he supposed to do something special?

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled as his mind continued to work. He looked over at Kuwabara as he absently started to eat again, and he thought about asking Kuwabara for advice. He'd been mated to Yukina for over two years, so he understood demon customs and stuff.

Before Yusuke could swallow his food and try to figure out how to ask for advice, Yukina appeared in the doorway to the meeting room. Kuwabara yelled her name and immediately ran to her side, just like he'd been doing ever since the first time he saw her, and Yusuke saw the wide smile on Yukina's face before Kuwabara's body blocked his view of her. Eh, that was okay. Yusuke would figure something out before seeing Koto at the end of the day. Not that he really needed to figure anything out, because it was just another day.

"Later, Urameshi! Try not to screw anything up!" Kuwabara called out before following after Yukina. Yusuke thought about tracking him down and kicking his ass, but he could hear Hokushin's hurried footsteps. It was probably almost time for them to meet with the clan leaders. Yeah, just another day.

 **.xXx.**

By lunchtime, Koto was back to overthinking every little thing. Did Yusuke expect something special tonight? She was more than ready for their physical relationship progress, she'd been more than ready for quite a while actually, but she didn't really know what to expect. Was tonight supposed to be special? And how would she make it special? Was she gonna have to wear sexy lingerie or something like that? Because she wasn't sure if she even had any sexy lingerie. Actually, now that she was thinking about it, she didn't even know if Yusuke liked sexy lingerie. But didn't all guys like that stuff?

Koto was rubbing her aching temples as she walked through the gardens, because all of her worrying was starting to give her a headache. Everything about their relationship had been easy, natural, so why was she freaking out so much now? It was probably all of the alone time. She was used to being at the Healing Center, so having the day off was giving her too much time to think. Which was why she was wandering around the gardens and looking for Juri. Talking to her friend should help ease her mind some.

"I can't believe that I am actually worrying about this," she whispered under her breath as she ducked under a giant flower. She paused at the edge of a clearing and nearly yelled in frustration, but she held it in because the scene was actually pretty cute. Objectively. It was just…why did she keep walking up on cute couple moments when she needed someone to vent to?

Kita's back was propped up against a tree, and her loose blonde hair stood out against the dark bark and the black of her suit. Her head was tipped back against the tree, and her eyes were closed. If Koto wasn't mistaken, Kita was sleeping. The shadow demon's legs were stretched out in front of her, and Juri was curled up between her spread thighs. Juri was turned sideways so that her head was resting on Kita's chest, and it looked like Juri had her arms wrapped around Kita's waist. Kita had one arm wrapped around Juri's back, and her other hand was buried in Juri's long mint green hair.

" _Juri looks so…happy."_ Her friend's eyes were closed, and her body looked relaxed in sleep. There was a small smile on her face though as she was cuddled up to Kita, and Koto made a mental note to ask Juri when this started.

She was careful to stay quiet as she backed away, because she didn't want to wake either of the peacefully sleeping women, and she didn't take a full breath until she was completely out of sight. Well, it wasn't the distraction that she'd been looking for, but her mind was definitely thinking over other things. For now, at least.

 **.xXx.**

"Have you checked in with The General?" Hokushin asked him after lunch. Yusuke tried to think back to the last time he'd talked to the giant bear demon and drew a blank.

"What for?" he asked instead of answering. He liked Ava. The guy was quiet but could kick some serious ass, and he kept the army in line so that Yusuke didn't have to. Hokushin gave him the usual disappointed look, but Yusuke was used to that particular look and was no longer fazed by it.

"He is supposed to pick soldiers to send to Enki's palace to help train the newest recruits. Alaric and Gandara are sending their best soldiers to help instruct as well," Hokushin explained slowly. Yusuke raised a finger, signaling Hokushin to wait a moment, and dug around his pockets. He found a slip of paper in his front left pocket, and he quickly read the looping script.

 _Tell Ava to send Squad D to Enki's to teach the new soldiers_

"I'll get right on it!" Yusuke called out as he stuffed the slip of paper back into his pocket. Koto usually snuck reminders into his pockets because he had a bad habit of forgetting the hundred or so things he was supposed to do each day, but he'd forgotten to check his pockets after officiating the mating ceremony that morning. He had no idea that there was so much paperwork involved with mating ceremonies.

They were meeting with the Eagle Clan later to map out where to build a new school in their territory, so Yusuke knew he had to hurry up and find Ava. It didn't take him long to get out of the palace, and he paused out in the sunlight for a moment. It felt good to breathe fresh air, but he didn't have time to relax and enjoy the great outdoors. He had to go find his general, who should be somewhere near the army. He moved into a slow run as he headed towards the army's training grounds, and a few soldiers pointed him in Ava's direction.

Yusuke slid to a stop as he caught sight of Ava's long black hair, and it took him a moment to realize that he was interrupting Ava and…someone. Ava had someone pressed against the wall of one of the armories, Yusuke was pretty sure it was an armory anyway, but he couldn't see who the other person was because Ava was a giant. Although, now that he was focusing a little more, it looked like the person was about the same height as Ava. Possibly the exact same height. It didn't take a genius to figure out what the two were up to, and Yusuke was just glad that he'd found Ava before it got any further. That would have been embarrassing.

"Uh, General?" Yusuke asked after clearing his throat. He hated interrupting people, but he had to give the order now and then get his ass back to the palace before the leader of the Eagle Clan showed up.

"Urameshi! Whatcha doin' way out here?!" Blue eyes met his over Ava's shoulder, and Yusuke felt his head tip to the side a little. Huh. Okay. He hadn't been expecting that.

"Hey, Chu. Just need a word with Ava real quick." Ava looked over his shoulder so that Yusuke could see his red eyes, but he didn't turn completely around. Which was totally okay with Yusuke.

"King Urameshi?" Ava asked.

"Sorry to, uh, interrupt," he started. Chu laughed, loudly and hard enough to jostle Ava around a little, and Ava reached up to lightly pat the top of Chu's mohawk without looking away from Yusuke's eyes. "Enki wants soldiers from all three kingdoms to help train his newest soldiers. I thought we could send Squad D?"

"Excellent choice, my king," Ava said and dipped his head in a small bow.

"We'll get righ' on it!" Chu yelled before ducking his head down. It was time for Yusuke to go. Hokushin was probably already gonna give him another disappointed look for taking so long.

"Carry on!" Yusuke called out as he started running back towards the palace. He could hear Chu laughing again, and Yusuke smiled to himself as he ran. If asked before, he wouldn't have pictured Chu and Ava together, but he was happy as long as his friend was.

 **.xXx.**

"You look troubled. How can you look troubled on your day off?" Koto opened one eye at the sound of Hoshimi's voice, and the dog demon was standing on the step next to her hip. Koto was sprawled out against the front steps of the palace, enjoying the last of the day's warmth, and she closed her eyes as Hoshimi continued to stare down at her.

"It's my six month anniversary." Her tone was sullen, and she could practically _feel_ Hoshimi's confusion as the other woman sat on the step next to her.

"Shouldn't you be celebrating?" Koto groaned and raised her hands to press her fingers against her eyes, because that one word had sent her mind spiraling again.

"What does that even mean? How am I supposed to celebrate it? Am I supposed to do something special? Something sexy? Sweet? I have no idea what I'm doing," Koto rushed out and groaned again.

Of course, she had some idea of what to do. She wasn't a virgin, and she'd definitely had plenty of _thoughts_ over the past six months so it wasn't like she was going into this blind. She knew the basics, essentially. She knew that she wanted to be with Yusuke, in every sense of the word, but she didn't know where to start. Where was she supposed to start if she wanted everything? And what if Yusuke wanted something different? What if she messed something up and their easy relationship fell apart?

She was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard Hoshimi laughing next to her, and her eyes flew open as her head turned to the side. Hoshimi was leaned back against the steps just like Koto, but she had her arms crossed over her stomach and her eyes scrunched closed as she laughed. Koto let out a short scream of frustration and lightly kicked Hoshimi's ankle, and she only restrained herself from enacting more violence because the other woman was her boss. Koto liked her job and wanted to keep it, but Hoshimi deserved the kick for laughing!

"Oh, I'm sorry, Koto. I'm not laughing at you, I promise," Hoshimi said as she wiped at the corners of her eyes. Koto huffed and crossed her arms, and she pressed her lips tightly together as Hoshimi looked at her. "It's just, sometimes I forget how young you are."

"I'm not young. I'm just not ancient," Koto countered. Hoshimi lightly patted Koto's shoulder, shrugged, and then wrapped her arm completely around Koto's shoulders and pulled Koto against her side.

"Yusuke loves you and you love him, right?" Koto wiggled around to get a little more comfortable and wound up with her head resting on Hoshimi's shoulder.

"Right." They didn't drop the L-word every day, but they showed it in little ways. Koto could feel how much Yusuke loved her every time he so much as looked at her, because Yusuke was probably the least subtle person she'd ever met.

"Then you don't have anything to worry about. Yusuke loves _you_ , no matter what. All you have to do is be yourself. I know that's cliché advice, but there's a reason it's a cliché. Because it's true."

"Will I be as wise as you when I reach your age in a few millennia?" Hoshimi wasn't actually that old, but the quip made Hoshimi laugh quietly.

"If you're lucky. Now, get upstairs and go be yourself. That's who Yusuke fell for, isn't it?" Koto straightened up and then looked over at Hoshimi, and she tried to think of how to tell the woman thank-you for the advice without sounding like a total sap. "Less thinking! More doing! Go, woman, go!"

"I'm going!" Koto yelled as Hoshimi pushed at her shoulders. The dog demon was still laughing as Koto walked into the palace, and she didn't run into anyone as she jogged up the mountain of stairs.

It felt like it took forever to reach the top floor, but it was a climb that she was used to now. She was smiling as she walked into the bedroom she shared with Yusuke, because Hoshimi was right. She didn't have to do anything special or extra, because Yusuke had already chosen her. Already loved her. So instead of worrying over nothing, she moved over to her vanity and turned her little radio on. Yusuke must have come up to their room and changed at some point because his more formal clothes were strewn around the floor, and she started to dance along to the music as she cleaned. Just like she did every other day.

 **.xXx.**

"Lord Urameshi? Did you hear me?" Yusuke blinked before looking up from the desktop, and he realized that he was still holding a pen even though there wasn't any more paperwork in front of him. His stiff fingers slowly peeled away from the pen, and he watched as it rolled across the desk before stopping against the neat stack of signed papers.

"Huh?" His brain felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and he drummed his fingers against the desktop to try and get the blood flowing properly again.

"I said that we're done for the day. You would normally already be gone." Hokushin's head tilted to the side, and Yusuke sat up a little straighter in his chair as he was studied. What? He'd had a long day, and he was just moving a little slower than usual. "Are you worried about your six month anniversary?"

"What?! How'd you even know that was today?!" Yusuke yelled. Hokushin smiled as he leaned back in his chair on the other side of the desk, and Yusuke crossed his arms as he waited for an answer.

"I keep better track of your schedule than you do." Oh. Yeah, that made sense.

"Fair point, but I ain't worried." He wasn't, because today was just like any other day dammit!

"That's good to hear, Lord Urameshi. Because if you were worried, I would tell you that all of your worries are completely unfounded. It is clear to all who have seen you and Koto together that you are meant to be, and that she truly loves who you are. Even the parts of you that she calls idiotic," Hokushin finished with a quiet chuckle.

"I think she uses _idiot_ as a pet name," Yusuke said absently as he thought Hokushin's words over. So, it was obvious to everyone, huh? Probably because Koto wasn't the most subtle person in the world, and Yusuke did know that Koto loved him because of who he was. Not because he was a king or strong or rich or any other stupid reason. She loved him for the same reason that he loved her. Because they made each other happy.

"I'm sure she does. Have a good night, Lord Urameshi." Hokushin was starting to stand up, and Yusuke quickly moved to his feet. There was absolutely nothing to be worried about, so he was gonna go upstairs and see Koto like he did every other night.

"Night, Hokushin!" he yelled as he ran out of the room.

He took the stairs two at a time, sometimes three at a time, and he reached the top floor in no time at all. He walked at a normal pace over to his bedroom doorway, and he took one last deep breath before reaching out and opening the door. Loud music greeted him as he walked inside, music so loud that Koto didn't even hear him close the door behind him, and he paused just inside the room to watch her dance as she tossed clothes into the laundry basket in the corner.

She looked like she always did. Her pink shorts were a little baggy but showed off the length of her legs, and he watched as she rocked up onto her bare toes and did a little wiggle as she pitched one of his socks across the room. The sleeveless yellow shirt she was wearing was one of his, but she had one side of it tied into a knot so that it hung around her lower stomach. Her hair was wild around her face as she threw the second sock, and her tail swished behind her as she did a little victory dance along to the beat.

"You always dance this much when you clean?" Koto froze mid-wiggle, and her eyes slowly moved over to meet his. He watched as the pink flush across her cheeks darkened a little more and then she was suddenly charging at him.

"Dance with me, Urameshi!"

 **.xXx.**

Yusuke's fingers were laced through hers as she held their arms in the air and swished her hips from side to side, and she loved the sound of Yusuke's loud carefree laughter as they danced around the open space in the bedroom. The now clean bedroom. She was right about Yusuke changing earlier in the day too. He was wearing a pair of plain jeans and a white tee shirt that was surprisingly unstained, and he kicked off his shoes while they were still dancing.

 _This_ was easy. Being with Yusuke was easy. She really had been worried for nothing, and she felt laughter bubbling in her stomach as she let Yusuke spin her around. She was laughing outright as she completed another spin and knocked into Yusuke, and he automatically released her hands and caught her around the waist before she could tip them both over. She raised her now free hands to his shoulders as she steadied herself, and she felt her entire body relax as their eyes met.

"You are not going to believe the day that I've had," she said and grinned. Yusuke mirrored her look as he pulled her closer, until her bare feet were braced against the top of his.

"Oh yeah? Wait until you hear about my day."

They continued to move around the room as they talked, as one upbeat song changed to another fun dance song, and they laughed as they explained the things they'd stumbled upon. First Kele and Azuma, then Chu and Ava, and finally Juri and Kita. Apparently everyone in the palace had been bit by some kind of lovebug, but Koto was too happy to even pretend to be disgusted by all the mushiness. For once, everything in their lives was great. Everyone was happy, nothing horrible had happened, and Yusuke was willingly dancing with her without her having to threaten him first.

"We're idiots, aren't we?" she asked as they slowly stopped laughing. Yusuke hummed as his arms tightened around her waist, just for a moment, and she reached up to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. She loved it when he didn't cover his hair in gel.

"I think we're so smart that we're dumb," was his reply. The wide smile on his face made her snort in laughter, and she slumped forward so that her forehead was pressed against his chest.

The song changed to something slower, and Yusuke slowed to match the new beat. Koto let her arms slide down until she could wrap them around Yusuke's body, under his arms, so that they were completely pressed together. Yusuke was always so much warmer than her, and she loved curling up close to his heat. She loved just being close to him. A hand moved up to lightly grip her neck before moving through her hair, and the sound she made in her throat almost sounded like a purr as Yusuke continued to move them in slow circles.

" _All the walls just fall away, feeling stronger every day. I can see it in your eyes, when you laugh, when you cry."_

Sometimes she tried to imagine what her life would be like without Yusuke in it, but then she realized that she probably would have died during the Dark Tournament if he hadn't been there. Or she would have died if he hadn't found a way to stop the Demon World from falling into a war by creating the Demon World Tournament. Or she would have died if he hadn't saved her after the rebellion. The point? She probably wouldn't have a life without Yusuke Urameshi, and she was thankful for that. Really, she was. It was so much _more_ than that though.

Yusuke saved her life, a few times by coincidence and once on purpose, but that wasn't why she loved him. She loved that he was a hero, a real hero who saved people because it was just the right thing to do, but what stuck out the most to her was what he did after he saved her. He took care of her. Held her when she had nightmares. Talked to her and sat with her so that she wasn't left alone. Made her laugh when she was afraid. Stood up for her, even when she was the one putting herself down.

" _So just look at me again, 'cause now you're my everything. I could never ask for more."_

"Are you happy?" The question just kind of slipped out of her, and she looked up as Yusuke slowly stopped spinning. Which was kind of a good thing, because she was starting to feel dizzy.

"Like, in general or right now? The answer is yes, either way." He looked a little confused, she felt confused, and she lightly bit her bottom lip as she tried to wrangle her thoughts.

"It's just, I know neither one of us ever thought we'd wind up here. Like this. Together." She pressed her hands a little harder against his back to emphasize her point, and she felt his fingers flex in her hair as he continued to hold her gaze. Like if he blinked she'd just disappear or something.

"Feels right. Feels easy," he shrugged after a moment. The answer was simple and still perfect, and she rolled her eyes even as she felt her lips stretching into a smile.

"Good answer, Urameshi," she whispered and tipped her face up. Yusuke leaned down and met her halfway, and she sighed happily as their lips met. The kiss started off light and slow, like they were saying hello, until Koto twisted her hands in the back of Yusuke's shirt and leaned up for more.

" _If all we had was each other, we'd have enough."_

Her lips parted under his as her head tilted to the side, and she made a quiet sound as Yusuke's tongue lightly brushed against hers. The hand in her hair tightened to hold her still, and she felt a rush of heat as she let go of Yusuke's shirt. She heard Yusuke make a confused sound as she pulled away, which was not easy for her to do, but she smiled as she reached down to grab the bottom of her shirt.

" _Enough."_

Yusuke's eyes had darkened by the time she'd pulled the shirt over her head, even though her hair had to look ridiculous, and she raised a brow as she looked pointedly at his shirt. He rolled his eyes but still smiled as he pulled his shirt off, and she nearly fainted when he actually tossed the shirt into the laundry basket. He was finally learning! They were both laughing quietly as his hands gripped her hips and pulled her flush against him, and she reached up to grip the edge of her sports bra.

"We don't have to, if you don't want to. I know we said six months, but I'm only ready if you are," Yusuke said as her fingers stilled against the bottom of the plain white bra. She'd hesitated, but not because she wasn't ready. She was definitely ready.

"I'm ready. I was just wishing that I'd worn something better than a boring old sports bra," she explained. Yusuke could be rude and crass, but she knew that he was a good guy at heart. So if he thought she was hesitating because she wasn't ready, he'd start acting weird. It was best to just be honest and clear her little hesitation up.

"I don't care about what you're wearing. You always look beautiful." He blushed as he said it but he was still grinning, and Koto felt what few nerves she did have melt away. She was with Yusuke, who she trusted and loved. She quickly pulled the bra up and off, and she blindly tossed it in the general direction of the laundry basket. "Still beautiful."

"Shut up and kiss me, Yusuke."

" _Oh, it's enough. Yeah, it's enough."_

Since she wasn't specific about the kiss, Yusuke ducked down to run his lips over the side of her neck. Koto's head tipped back to give him more access, and she shivered as her bare body arched against his. Hands swept along either side of her spine, and she reached up to grip his shoulders as teeth lightly nipped along her collarbone. She made a quiet sound of frustration and felt Yusuke laugh against her skin, and she hooked one arm around his neck before reaching up to grab the back of his hair.

The grip caused her back to curve, and she heard Yusuke groan as her chest was pushed upwards. One hand cupped the side of her breast as a thumb rolled over her nipple, and she whined low in her throat as Yusuke's lips sealed around her other nipple. Koto wanted to touch him, wanted to taste him, but she kept getting distracted. Yusuke alternated between hard sucks and soft sweeps of his tongue, and she was holding him against her as she felt his thigh press up between her legs.

"Pants. Off." Yusuke had been alternating between her breasts, and her hips were starting to rock against his thigh. The friction felt amazing, but she wanted more. "Now."

"Always so bossy." The words were murmured against her sternum, and she felt her shorts being tugged. She reluctantly let go of Yusuke's hair and reached down to help him unbutton her shorts, and teeth skimmed over her ribs as Yusuke bent down to pull her shorts down. She quickly kicked them off and then squealed as she was suddenly lifted into the air.

She laughed as her back bounced against the mattress, and she realized that she was lying crossways against the bed. Her knees were hooked over the edge of the bed, but the bed was so high up that her feet couldn't reach the floor. Yusuke was standing between her spread thighs, and she felt herself smile as she stretched under his gaze. In her last relationship, she always felt a little nervous whenever she was completely naked. Right now, with the way Yusuke was looking at her? All she could feel was heat.

Rough hands gently moved up her thighs, and Koto's eyes widened as Yusuke smoothly dropped to his knees. She wasn't expecting that. She was about to tell him to get on the bed with her when his hands lightly gripped her knees as his lips pressed against the inside of her right thigh, and whatever she was going to say was drowned out with a quiet moan. The small nip higher up her thigh caused her back to bow off the bed, and her fingers curled against the blanket as Yusuke's kisses slowly moved higher up her thighs.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but we really don't need any more foreplay." Her voice was lower than usual, but she meant what she said. She'd been wet since the first brush of Yusuke's tongue against her breasts, and she could tell that the tops of her inner thighs were wet as well. She also knew that Yusuke could tell, because she felt his fingers pressing against her slick skin.

"What if I want to taste you?" Koto forced her head up and looked down, and she kept her eyes open as Yusuke leaned forward and let just the tip of his tongue trace along the edges of her opening.

" _Oh_." Her hips rolled as his hands gripped her thighs and held her open, and her head fell back as his tongue pressed deeper inside of her. "Maybe a little more foreplay."

She thought Yusuke might have laughed, but it was hard to tell as his mouth continued to move against her. To her surprise, Yusuke quickly picked up on what drove her crazy. When he lightly licked at her, teasing her, she repeated _please_ until he gave her more. When his tongue curled inside of her, she whined quietly as her thighs shook. When he moved up to flick his tongue against her clit and pressed a finger deep inside her, she called out his name and came.

The orgasm caught her by surprise, and her body was still shaking a little as Yusuke slid up her body. Her legs had tightened around his hand, and she could still feel his finger pressing against her as slick lips moved across her throat. She moved her arms around his shoulders and buried her hands in his hair, and she pulled him up to her. She could taste herself on his lips and on his tongue, and she tightened around the finger still inside her as she arched up against him.

A second finger slipped inside of her as his tongue swiped across her nipple, and she realized her body was tensing up again as her hips started to roll. She was already headed towards another orgasm and Yusuke still had his jeans on! She couldn't stop her body from moving against his as she reached down, and a third finger started to slowly stretch her open just as she reached the button of his jeans. Her hips bucked as his teeth pulled at the sensitive skin under her jaw, and she growled as she finally got his jeans open.

It took some wiggling, which just caused her to tense and shake even more, but she finally got his jeans pushed down. Once he had them kicked off, she pulled on his arms until he moved up onto the bed with her. Took him long enough. Yusuke laughed as she pushed at his chest and rolled them so that he was the one lying on his back, and she quickly moved to straddle his lap before he could try to move.

"Anything you want," Yusuke said and grinned up at her. The problem was that she wanted everything, but everything could wait for a little while. Right now, she wanted to feel him inside of her.

"Anything?" she asked and rocked her hips back.

Yusuke hummed his answer as his hands gripped her hips, but he kept the grip loose as she rubbed against him. She was still sensitive from her earlier orgasm, and she bit down on her bottom lip as the tip of his cock pushed inside of her. She knew her body needed to adjust a little, and the hands on her hips tightened as she started to roll her hips. A quiet moan slipped out of her as she slowly sunk down the full length of him, until he was completely inside of her, and she pressed her palms against his chest as she tightened her inner muscles around him.

The hands on her hips were holding her tight enough to bruise now, but Yusuke wasn't rushing her. He just clenched his eyes shut and took a few quick breaths before looking up at her. She couldn't even see the brown of his eyes as he looked up at her, and her teeth released her bottom lip so that she could smile down at him. Then she began to move. She kept her hips at a slow grind to start with, but she couldn't hold the slow pace for long. Not when she'd been on the edge for so long.

"Come on, Koto." Yusuke's voice was deeper than she'd ever heard it, and she opened her eyes as her hips rocked harder. One hand slid across her lower stomach before dipping lower, and her head fell back as his thumb circled around her clit. "Let me see you come this time."

She cried out as his thumb pressed harder against her and his hips bucked up, and her fingers curled against his chest as her second orgasm rushed through her. She had to lock her spine to keep from falling over as she rode out the aftershocks, and she was looking at the bright red marks she'd left on Yusuke's chest when she realized that the scratches weren't the only new marks. Dark blue marks swirled across his chest and dipped down the lines of his hips, and she summoned the strength to sit up. Yusuke was still hard inside of her as she leaned back and traced her fingers over the marks on his hips, and she could see even more marks starting to appear across his tan skin.

"I think it's your turn now," she said and carefully rolled her hips again. She was even more sensitive now, in a way that she'd never really been before, and she wanted Yusuke to feel the way she did.

This time when Yusuke smiled at her, she could see a hint of fangs against his bottom lip. He flipped them over before she could get a closer look, and her knees raised so that she could plant her feet against the mattress. She tried to rock her hips up, but Yusuke pressed her down against the bed. The points of his canines ran up the side of her neck, and her body rolled under his as he licked a drop of sweat off of her jaw. Her thighs were starting to shake when he nipped the tip of her ear, and she reached up to grab his shoulders as she tried to get him to move.

"It's my turn now." It was whispered into her ear, and Koto was close to begging when she finally felt him slowly start to move. She sobbed out a moan as his cock pushed deeper inside of her than before, and she leaned up into Yusuke's open-mouthed kiss as her ankles locked behind his back.

Yusuke's arms went under her back so that he could grip her shoulders and keep her from moving as he thrust harder against her, and Koto could hear the sound of her voice over the sound of the bedframe knocking into the wall. Her only coherent words were _please_ and _Yusuke_ , and she felt her eyes burning as her body strained. Every part of her was oversensitive, but she still wanted more. She was nearly sobbing as she came for a third time that night, and she was still screaming Yusuke's name when she heard a quiet growl and felt a rush of heat.

"That was…" She trailed off as Yusuke slumped against her with his cheek pressed against her chest, and her legs fell against the bed as she ran her hands down Yusuke's sweaty back. She might have dug her nails into his shoulders a little too deep at the end, but she was feeling too good to worry about that right now.

"…amazing," Yusuke finished. He shifted so that he could look up at her, and Koto managed to tilt her chin down so that she could see his eyes. "It was amazing, right?"

"Did you miss the part where I actually screamed your name? They probably heard me all the way in Alaric." Her throat even felt a little sore, her voice was rougher than usual, but she didn't care. Because that? That was…amazing. Yusuke huffed a laugh against her chest, and Koto shifted under him. She liked the way he felt on top of her, liked the weight and heat of him, and she sighed as she ran one hand through his wild hair. Which was thankfully its usual length despite the Mazuko markings still on his body.

"Hey, Koto?"

"Hmm?" She knew that they needed to get up and clean off, the sweat was starting to dry and she felt sticky, but they could rest for a few more moments.

"I love you." It was said against her chest, she could feel his lips moving against her sensitive skin, and she opened her eyes. Maybe this wasn't how she thought her life would turn out, but she was more than okay with it. Because right now? Her life was pretty much perfect.

"I love you too, Yusuke." She waited until his eyes had closed and he'd relaxed against her to speak up again, and her teasing statement had him laughing into her neck even as he moved to do as she asked. "But I'd love you more if you carried me to the shower."

* * *

 **Ending Note:** The End! Except for a short Epilogue. THANK YOU to everyone who has read this story. Each favorite, follow, and review is what kept me going and helped me to finish this story. So thank you for sticking by me and for taking a chance on reading a story about a crack pairing. I hope you had as much fun reading this story as I had writing it.

Now that this story is over, I'm going to focus on _**An Inferno That Burns To The Bone**_ and _**Rinse and Repeat**_ , which are also Yu Yu Hakusho stories. I'll also be posting another YYH story soon, but I can't decide on which one. So! There's a poll on my profile page if you'd like to vote for which story I should post next.

Song Used: _Enough_ by Tyrone Wells

 **JustAGuest:** I won't make any promises, but there might be cute babies in the epilogue. Thank you for the review!

 **SakiHanajima1:** Of course Kurama is sneaky. That's why we love him. (Totally the only reason. Intelligence is sexy.) Writing out the I-love-yous was so much fun! Because Yusuke/Koto is one of my favorite pairings of all time, and I'd been waiting to write that moment since I started this story! I think I gave Juri a happy ending. I didn't explore it, but Juri is having a happily ever after too. Thank you for the review!

 **Shell1331:** I'm glad you liked the flashbacks! I know some people don't like flashbacks, but I love seeing things from different perspectives and seeing how things have changed over time. Flashbacks are perfect for accomplishing both. I hate making Koto cry, because she seems like such a strong character, but we all have moments where we feel insecure. And Yusuke cheered her up, so it ended happily! The six month rule was probably a bit much, but I loved writing this chapter. I hope you enjoyed reading it, and thank you for all of the wonderful reviews!


	13. Happily Ever After

**Author's Note:** This is the real end. I have had so much fun writing this story, and I hope all of you have had as much fun reading it. I know the pairing is weird, but it's probably my all-time favorite YYH pairing. So I'm sad that this story is over, but all good things have to end eventually. (Excuse me while I go cry now. Enjoy the Epilogue!)

 **Post Date:** 18 October 2017

 **Word Count:** 1915

* * *

 **Epilogue  
** **Happily Ever After**

 **October 2052**

"Aren't you a little too old for bedtime stories?" Large aqua eyes glared up at Yusuke, and it took all of his strength not to smile or laugh. He had to keep his stern face on.

"It's my birthday." Her little bottom lip started to quiver, and Yusuke crossed his arms and clenched his jaw. He would not break.

"That's my point! You're ten now. That's too old for a bedtime story." The bed under him shifted as she struggled out from under her blanket, and Yusuke raised a brow as she sat up and crossed her legs.

"I'll arm wrestle ya for it. If I win, I get a bedtime story." That was it, he was limiting her time with Chu. The big lug was obviously a bad influence. Yusuke quietly clicked his tongue as he looked up at the ceiling, as if he was giving the request some serious thought, and then looked back down before clapping his hands once.

"You're on!" She cheered and then dropped her elbow onto the bright pink blanket, and Yusuke shifted so that he could mirror her position. Bright aqua eyes locked with his as their palms clapped, and Yusuke narrowed his eyes as she counted them down.

After yelling _three_ , he felt her pushing against his hand. For such a little thing, she sure was strong. He watched his arm start to tilt to the side as some of her long black hair slipped over her shoulder to cover one side of her face, but he could still see the tip of her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth as she pushed harder against his hand. Yusuke waited until he saw her little arm flex and then let his hand fall back. She laughed and cheered as she kept his hand pinned, while Yusuke tried to argue that she'd cheated.

"Nuh-uh! I won, fair and square, so you gotta tell me a story!" She pointed a finger in his face, nearly flicking his nose, and Yusuke rolled his eyes with a sigh.

"Fine, you win. Now lay back down." After one last victory cheer, she wiggled around until she was lying down with her atrociously colored blanket pulled up to just under her chin. She looked up at him expectantly, and Yusuke made a show of looking around her room until he could see the large handmade bookcase on the other side of the room. "Alright, which one do you wanna hear?"

"I've already read all of those. I want _you_ to tell me a story." His eyes tracked over the large bookcase, at all of the books crammed onto the thing, and shook his head a little. Sometimes, he had a feeling that she was smarter than him. He looked back down to see those wide eyes still looking up at him, and he crossed his arms as she gave him an eerily familiar look. It was the same look Koto gave him whenever she thought he was being even more of an idiot than usual. (Those were Koto's words, not his.)

"What story is that?" She hummed as she wiggled around to get more comfortable, and Yusuke patiently waited for her to make up her mind.

"I want to hear about how you met Mom." Yusuke started coughing as he choked on his own spit, and he heard quiet laughter as he struggled to clear his airway. He looked into the doorway and realized that the source of the laughter was coming from the twin boys settled on Koto's hips.

"Tell us! Tell us!" the boys chanted as Koto walked into the room.

"Yeah, let's hear it," Koto added as she settled onto the bed so that she was sitting in front of him with the boys curled up in her lap. Her back leaned up against the headboard, and Yusuke felt like squirming as four pairs of eyes settled on him. Two sets of aqua, two sets of brown, and all four were looking at him expectantly.

How he met Koto…well, he couldn't start with the tournament. The kids were ten and four, which was still a little too young to hear about the Dark Tournament. He couldn't even tell them that the only reason Koto was around long enough for them to get together was because of a war that tore the Demon World apart for a couple of years, and that he'd saved her before some demons could get their hands on her. Okay, so, he'd just have to be careful about how he told the story. That was all. He could totally censor himself, and there were some things that he could definitely talk about. Like Koenma and Botan's wedding! That was kind of like a date, and there hadn't been any bloodshed that time. Still though, that wasn't their _first_ meeting.

"Once upon a time," he started and then stopped as a loud groan cut through the air.

"Not a fake story!" Yusuke looked down as aqua eyes glared up at him, and he settled back on his hands as he looked over and met a pair of amused aqua eyes. Well, amused was one word for that look. That look was the one that said Koto was both amused and waiting for him to say or do something incredibly stupid. He always felt like running when he saw that look, but he never did.

"Alright, the first time I saw your mother, I knew she was different than any other girl I'd ever met." That much was true, considering she'd willingly gotten into a ring where demons fought to the death and yelled for more blood.

He told the truth as much as he could, mostly while looking up at the ceiling so that he couldn't see Koto's expression while he told the censored version of their story, and it was surprisingly easy to talk when he couldn't see anyone. All he could hear was the sound of his own voice, which was a little odd because it was rarely quiet anywhere in the palace, but it was kinda nice. He wasn't sure how much time passed before he felt something poking at his knee, and he looked away from the ceiling and straight ahead. Koto had one leg raised up so that she could poke him with her toes, and she smiled as their eyes met.

"They're asleep," she whispered. She inclined her head down and then stood up, and Yusuke turned his head to watch her walk away. Once she was out the door and out of his sight, Yusuke turned back around and looked down.

"Goodnight," Yusuke whispered and started to lean down. He tucked some wild black hair behind a human ear before pressing a light kiss against the top of his daughter's head, and he slowly stood up to make sure that he wouldn't accidentally wake her up.

He kept his eyes on his little girl as he silently backed out of the room, and he held his breath as he closed the door behind himself. He didn't hear any sounds coming from inside the room, so she was actually asleep and hadn't been faking. Sometimes she only pretended to be asleep and then snuck out of bed to read a book, but he was pretty sure that she was actually asleep this time. He turned and walked across the hall, and he was careful to keep quiet as he nudged the cracked door open a little wider. Both of his sons were fast asleep in their beds, messy black hair spread across their pillows, and he watched as the little cat ears on top of their heads twitched. If he wasn't careful, they'd hear him and wake up. Then Koto would kill him. So he said a silent goodnight before backing out of the room and slowly closing the door behind him.

The palace was quiet as he walked down the hallway, as far as he could tell anyway, and he sighed a little as he walked into his bedroom. The main light was off, but the lamp next to the bed was still on. Koto was already under the blanket and sheet, but she was sitting up with her back propped up against the headboard. Yusuke quickly stripped down and then tugged on a pair of shorts, because they never knew when one of the kids would come running in, and he collapsed against the bed with a quiet groan.

Koto laughed quietly as he wiggled around to get under the sheet, and he felt her fingers settle in his hair as he laid his head in her lap. They'd both had a long day, celebrating their little girl's tenth birthday, and he knew Koto had to be just as tired as he was. That didn't mean he was going to ask her to stop playing with his hair though. He let out a quiet sound as he wrapped an arm around her legs, just under her knees, and scooted over so that he was curled up closer to her. He heard Koto let out another quiet laugh, and he twisted around so that he could look up and see her face.

"Somethin' funny?"

"It's kind of strange, isn't it?" Koto had that look in her eye again; the look that never failed to make him want to run for the hills. The amused one that was usually laughing at him, and he huffed a little as he kept looking up at her.

"What's strange?" Her fingers combed through his hair, pushing it away from his face, as she hummed quietly.

"Our story. The _real_ one. Not the heavily edited one that you told the kids." Yeah, she was definitely laughing at him. It wasn't like he could tell their children that they met during a tournament where he was fighting for his life! The same tournament where she was cheering for him to die!

"Our story isn't that strange." Except for the beginning, with the cheering for his death thing. Then there was that huge fight during Christmas, the war, and the fact that they got together because he accidentally kissed her. So maybe the middle was a little strange. Or was all of that part of the beginning? Which would make their lives now the middle? Because the end would mean…yeah, he wasn't gonna think about that. Actually, thinking about all of this was starting to give him a headache.

"It's like a fairytale, except I hated you for a little bit and there was a lot of blood. Like, a lot. Okay, so maybe not a fairytale. Romantic comedy with death scenes?"

Yusuke managed to shift around until he could brace his palms on either side of Koto's hips, and her wide smile gentled some as he lifted himself up until they were on the same eye-level. She was the one who leaned forward to rub their noses together, and his smile pressed against hers as he dipped down to kiss her. The hand still in his hair tightened and pulled him back, just a little, and Koto laughed as she ducked forward to lightly kiss him one more time before leaning back. Okay, so maybe their story was a little strange and not exactly a fairytale, but he thought it was a pretty good story. Since they were still eye-to-eye, his next words were whispered against her lips.

"And they lived happily ever after."

* * *

 **Ending Note:** The ending might be cheesy and cliché, but I like it. Thank you to everyone who has read this story, and a special THANK YOU to everyone who supported this story by following/favoriting/reviewing.

 **SakiHanajima1:** Can you believe this story is over?! Because I can't! (I'm totally in denial while crying like a leaking faucet. I hate endings.) I'm glad you liked the side pairings! If the story was longer, I would have expanded on them because I think they're all adorable couples, which is why I had to put them in at the end. They all deserve love. As for the ending of the last chapter, I'm glad you thought it was tasteful! Those scenes are always difficult for me to write, but that one was surprisingly easy. Maybe because I ship Yusuke and Koto so much? Who knows? THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT! And, of course, thank you for the review!

 **Shell1331:** Endings are always a little bittersweet, but I'm glad you still liked the chapter! Haha, writing the 6 month buildup was fun for me. My main goal when I started this story was to see if I could write Yusuke and Koto as a believable couple, without messing up their canon characterization, so thank you for reading the story and telling me your thoughts! It means a lot to me, and I hope to see one of your reviews on one of my other YYH stories one day. Thank you for the review!


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